Kagayai ta Hasu
by turtlechow
Summary: Her wings were mended by time. Now, she must surpass the sun or risk breaking them again... ByaxOC. Sequel to Koware ta Tsubasa.
1. Chapter 1: Dreams

A Quick Note: This story is a sequel to my ByakuyaxOC story, Koware ta Tsubasa. If you haven't finished it, I recommend you do so… all 200,000 words… because this one picks up pretty much where the last one left off. Happy reading to those of you who choose to partake in the feat… to my knowledge, no one has regretted it thus far. As for those of you who have already finished KTT, then read on, my loyal fans…

Disclaimer: As if you didn't know it by now, I still don't own Bleach. Otherwise, Byakuya would be the main character because he owns, and since he's made about… counts a couple few appearances in the filler arc and served as the focus for the shinigami cup golden a bit, I continue to watch it in hope of seeing his "happy" face… that'll happen, like, the twelfth of never. XD

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A/N: And so it begins again… for the hour of the sequel is upon us!

Dear returning fans, you've all been very patient, and I appreciate it. Unfortunately, you may have to exercise your patience slightly more than you had to with KTT (my acronym for the first story, Koware ta Tsubasa). Flamy-chan convinced me to start posting the sequel despite my having very little time to work on it… English Boot Camp has been a blast, but I still have 70 pages of reading and 2 more papers to write… I just love new semesters… x.x' Anyway, I shall do my best to have a new chapter up every couple of weeks or so… no promises, but I'll at least give it an honest effort. Forgive the future long waiting periods. They will likely happen. But I promised a sequel to Flamy-chan and Cara-Mae-Chan, and all the other people whose reviews I responded to last night. So, without further ado, I give everyone what they asked for: more fluff, more explosions, more gargantuan chapters, and hopefully more good writing.

Just one more thing, and I swear I'll let you tear into this first chapter (but tear gently; my ego is fragile): the title is in Japanese just like the last story I wrote. Kagayai ta Hasu translates to "The Shining Lotus." For references, read chapters 24 and 25 of KTT (rising above the sun, Byakuya's confession… it makes sense, alright? I swear, there is a method to my madness!) Now, without further ado, please keep your hands, arms legs, heads, and appendages of all sorts inside the desk chair at all times. Please do not stand while the chapter is in motion. If you choose to scream with glee, then scream quietly, because other non-fanfic fanatics might not appreciate your elation. Thank you, and please enjoy!

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_Chapter 1: Dreams_

Ascension: her ultimate destiny. Undoubtedly, she had ascended since coming to Soul Society, dragged away by the hands of fate from the world she knew, thrown into a sea of bodies where constant thoughts of rejection plagued her. Those fears were put to rest by Senbonzakura's wielder with a thousand acceptances, some silent, others explicit, each outweighing her trepidations until they were crushed by her own acceptance of her bloodline and her place in the world. Though the anxiety of how others would react to her peculiar heritage still weighed heavily upon her shoulders, Haru managed to forget about most of it. But fear had an uncanny way of plaguing her, spawned by the thoughts she could not dictate.

"Where… am I?" she asked the emptiness, severed only by her figure and the small white shadow lingering beneath her feet. There was no sensation of standing but of hovering, and a complete lack of an answer, even from her own echo, caused her to cry out in a more frightened voice, "Is anyone there? Hello!" Indifferent to her calls, the limitless void remained still and silent. A slight tremble worked its way through Haru; then, every sentiment in her body seeped straight out of her. Having neither the reason nor the capacity to be afraid, she paced forward with weightless steps, her eyes falling to a half-closed position as she trekked on an unseen road through her thoughts. They had a bit of a murky texture without being weighty or restraining. She walked as easily there in that nothingness as she did in the halls of Byakuya's manor.

The faint notion of a voice or call caused her head to pivot. After listening closely for a moment, she heard the faint sound of the void being cut by something. "Impossible," she said in an empty tone, walking forward and shrugging the sound off as a figment of her imagination. Haru could not help but come to a dead halt at the sight that beheld her. She stood for a moment, watching the shadow of her juvenile self slice through the air with a wooden sword, crying out from the effort she was putting forth. A feeling crept through her for a moment, and since it was the only sentiment the void allowed her, Haru clung to it as if it was her only link to life. Her other self, who seemed in tune with that which she had become, paused in mid-swing and turned to Haru. They regarded each other for a moment before the child smiled, if it could even be called a smile. It was an expression that lacked everything save a sort of half-life, an existence without emotions. Then, the mirror shattered, and the fragments of her younger self fell into the unending darkness beneath her feet.

"Are you growing nostalgic, Haru-sama?" A pair of violet eyes rose to the phoenix, who hovered near her right shoulder without flapping its wings. "Typically, memories do not invade this place, nor do your feelings. This is the realm of logic and logic alone."

"Logic," she echoed, peering back to the space where her younger self stood moments before. Raising her hand, she summoned the image again, this time in its entirety. Beneath the girl's feet was a wooden floor, and in the corner of the room, peering out of the shadows, was a boy wearing glasses, dressed fully in white, who watched her every motion. Suddenly, the girl stopped, wiping the sweat off of her forehead and turning to her raven-haired company.

"Do you think I'm getting better, Ishi-nii?" she asked.

"How should I know?" he responded. "And quit calling me 'Ishi-nii.' I'm not your brother."

"So what if we have different parents?" demanded the girl, folding her hands on her hips. "You're still a brother to me, Ishi-nii…"

"You are spectacularly obstinate, Haru-sama," replied Ishida's juvenile shadow as he pushed the glasses up his nose. As expected, Haru remained silent and bent her head slightly, slowing her breaths until the final one escaped in a sigh. The tiny fist clenched around the sword's hilt suddenly loosened, and down it fell through the air, striking the floorboards with a deafening echo. Haru watched as her childhood reflection's head fell forward, her chin touched her chest, and a defiant grimace came over her face as the gentle pitter-patter of tears followed that which had already fallen. The boy in the corner, up until that point serious, suddenly shot to his feet and approached her.

"Hey, are you in pain? Does your back hurt? Haru-sama, please… please don't cry," he implored, stepping forward hesitantly. Once he was close enough, she threw her arms around the boy, crying against his shoulder and shuddering with the sobs that wracked her eight-year-old frame. Ishida's face turned crimson, but the awkward grimace melted into a smile of understanding as his thin arms encircled her shoulders. Then, the spotlight shining on them faded, leaving nothing but darkness where the memory possessed life moments before.

"Memories, feelings, dreams… they are all logical for sentient beings. To lack them is to lack heart. To lack heart is to lack freedom. To lack freedom is to lack life, and to lack life is to lack the capacity for logic."

"Is that how you feel?" Suzaku inquired.

"It is something I believe, just as I believe…" Her voice trailed off, and a deafening crack split the silence. A web of brilliant fissures raced along the emptiness into infinity. "This void is no void, because something exists in it."

"What could possibly exist here other than pure logic?" demanded the bird, her blue eyes flashing dangerously. Smiling in her usual manner, Haru lowered her glasses, then pressed them up the bridge of her nose, a habit she picked up off her nominal brother after years of watching him do it. Then, she pointed to the phoenix, her eyes flickering with victory as she pointed to herself, and with a snap of her fingers, the void that surrounded her crumbled, revealing a brilliant whiteness that enveloped all thought and comprehension. When she finally gained thought, her eyes fell to her feet, at which lay the mangled remnants of a shinigami. Then, she looked to the sword in her left hand, though it was no longer a sword at all. Its edge, like the hands she looked to, was covered in the blood of her immobilized enemy. Stammering a protest of disbelief, Haru staggered back only to have one bloody hand reach out and seize her ankle, smearing the bottom of her hakama with blood.

"Iie…" she murmured, attempting to stagger backwards and rid herself of the persistent hand, but it was no use. He held on for dear life, pulling back so hard that she fell on her back, which strangely did not pain her as it usually did. At that point, Haru normally fled back to consciousness, but in this one instance, she lingered long enough to have her victim crawl over her, dripping blood from his wounds onto her uniform, pinning her down by one shoulders as his face hovered over hers. There was a slight rattle, a smug laugh of victory, an eruption of pain…

And then the walls of the sixth division office sprang up around her. Sitting bolt upright without musing over the possible consequences, she quickly collapsed again when her head whirled, taking no caution to slow her descent. When her back collided with the floor, a cry of pain wrenched itself from her typically silent lungs. The ache was so intense that she rolled onto her side, balled up, and trembled as she tried to get some sort of hold on her senses. A chill gradually worked its way through her body, and she curled up in whatever it was that covered her, burying her face in the fabric while struggling to breathe. _This smell… _ The familiarity alone was a great comfort. Following her recognition, Haru quickly regained composure. When she moved her hand to wipe the cool sweat from her forehead, she found her body was still very weak and thus chose to remain stationary for a moment.

The final recognition that came was that of the room's other occupants. Shifting her limbs, she finally managed to push herself up and turn her head to study her captain, whose hand had fallen stationary at the first sign of her waking. The restraint in his face was almost as painful as the remnant of agony lingering in her back. Certainty washed over her as he set the brush aside and rose to his feet, walking forward with poise as the sound of motion in the other office worked its way into her ears. Descending beside her, he gingerly ridded her gaze of her tousled hair and pressed a warm hand against her cool cheek. Without so much as a trace of askance, Haru fell heavily against him, clutching his haori and burying her shame in it. She felt whatever covered her pulled around her shoulders as a pair of arms wound around her. Speaking was a task she had not yet mastered, so she tried to convey with her eyes what her words would not.

"Do not even think of apologizing," he stated, resting his hands on her shoulders. A labored sigh escaped him as his stoic eyes grew pensive, the tint of blue emerging due to the touch of obsidian racing along his cheekbone. The riddle in his mind went unanswered despite the direction of his thought, so he settled for working his fingers along a tendril of her nutmeg hair as he thought. "Why will you not tell me what is wrong, Haru-kun?"

"Perhaps because I do not entirely know myself," she murmured, her violet gaze falling furtively to the floor. Sensing the vibrations of approaching feet, Haru found enough strength to rest her hands on his shoulders, but pushing him away was a task she lacked the strength to accomplish. Pleading with her eyes for Byakuya to move to a safe distance did nothing to help her situation, as the grip on her own shoulders tightened. Silvery eyes flew to the door as it opened, revealing a rather adamant Renji in the doorway.

"Everything all right, taichou?" Haru silently wondered when the redhead had arrived. Byakuya mentioned the night before something along the lines of a vice captain meeting in the morning, so the two of them embarked an hour early and had been working ever since, or at least he had. Renji's eyes analyzed the scene, focusing on the placid Kuchiki before moving to the girl who clutched his shoulders. "The hell's wrong with you? You look like shit… are you sick or something?" Haru responded with her eyes, which held the promise of a skull-cracking should he pursue the topic any further. "Maybe you should take a day off or something… you know, just to get yourself together."

"I am fine," she answered firmly, looking to Byakuya for further aid, but the stoic captain did nothing of the sort. He simply threw his agonized gaze to a corner of the room and hoped Renji's ability to read him would fail for once. To prove her point, Haru rose to her feet with surprising steadiness. She staggered slightly, causing both the stoic captain and his subordinate to jolt in the event that she fell. Instead of looking to Byakuya for support, she settled on leaning her shoulder against the wall, pulling the fabric covering her shoulders tightly around them. _Suzaku, why are you doing this? _Haru demanded, contemplating several possible answers to her question. Instead of providing her with the response she sought, her zanpakutoh's voice remained still and silent. _For several nights running, you have harassed me. Why? _A numb fear crept through her at the prospect that, perhaps, Suzaku had no answer to give. Even more frightening was the presence of an answer she could not hear. Deeming the matter insignificant at the moment, she pushed away from the wall, stepping around the orderly stack of papers she had been engaged in, before sliding the white haori off of her shoulders and holding it out to Byakuya. "Arigato-gozaimasu, Kuchiki-taichou. I apologize for my failure to remain conscious."

"Did I not just tell you to refrain from apologizing?" he muttered, taking his captain's haori from the girl without further comment. Without putting it on, he returned to his desk, draping the garment over the back of his chair before placing himself in it and resuming his work. "In light of your condition, Haru-kun, I am relieving you of your duties until noon."

"But Kuchiki-taichou…"

"In that frame of time, I expect you to go with Renji and introduce yourself to the rest of the squad." The remainder of Haru's rebellion remained unspoken. Biting her lip, she turned to Renji, fixing her helpless eyes on him as he contemplated the situation. Then, she looked to Byakuya pleadingly. Without raising his eyes, he justified his orders. "You have been here for two weeks, Haru-kun, and in those two weeks, the only real work you have done is help me with the paperwork, though I cannot blame you for that. Hollow attacks have been few and far between. I can only assume it is the calm before the storm. For that reason, I insist that you form a loose set of bonds with the remainder of my squad so that, when the time comes, they do not overlook your importance."

"H… hai," she responded hesitantly, her hands working through the air as she bowed her head. Despite the competence she expressed, Haru made no move to depart, not even when her eyes drifted back into view.

"Is there something you need?"

"I… humbly request that you return my glasses." A pair of sapphire eyes shot towards her, seething as if what she asked was sacrilege.

"I do not recall you having defeated me yet, Haru-kun," he responded, folding his hands. The perpetual scowl disappeared behind them as they came to rest just below his nose. His gaze disappeared behind a forest of dark lashes, and Renji thought he heard his typically stoic captain emit a frustrated sigh. "Until you do so, you will not see them."

"Kuchiki-taichou, I must insist that you return them…"

"You are part of the sixth division now, Haru-kun." His voice was firm but clearly frustrated. "Unless the matter is something highly personal, you will hide nothing from me. I expect you to give the same privilege to your fellow squad members. Is that understood?" A trace of resentment raced through her gaze, but it was quickly subdued by her determination not to grow angry with him.

"Hai, taichou," she stated with another bow of her head, turning towards the door whose frame Renji still occupied. He gave her a look of sympathy as she ducked under his arm without so much as a word, sliding through it as if she had not just awakened from a sudden dead faint during which her dreams arrested the comfort that typically accompanied sleep.

"I trust you will watch her, Renji," Byakuya added, and after an affirmative response, the vice captain's steps fell in line directly behind her own. She dropped to a sitting position by the door, donning her sandals while fighting every urge to confess her sorrows to her knees. Renji's presence stopped her from doing so. He regarded her tentatively, his eyes burning with words he would dare not speak until the office was behind them. She rose as if lifeless and stepped into the sun, which struck her unshielded optics and revealed the apprehension in them. Once the door was shut behind them, Renji walked forward, motioning for Haru to follow him.

"Now, I want you tell me what's really going on."

"Nothing is," Haru responded.

"If you ain't satisfied…"

"I am content, Abarai-fukutaichou." The formality stung him for some reason. Even though Haru had already fallen into the habit of addressing him as such, the manner in which she did so in that particular instance was gruelingly distant. Frustrated at both it and the knowledge that no amount of goading would produce a straight answer, he released a heavy sigh, locking his hands behind his head and turning his eyes to the sky.

"Something's wrong. You just won't fess up."

"Nothing is wrong."

"Then how do you explain just passing out like that?" he demanded, casting one eye over his shoulder. "If you're sick, you should tell him. He'd give you time off since he doesn't want anything happening to you."

"The illness is not one of the body." Haru's hand rose to her temple and fell against it as an antagonized sigh cut through the silence around them. "As I have already said, I am not entirely sure what the matter is, but I will make it a point to keep you and Kuchiki-taichou updated…"

"Will you cut the formal shit already?" he demanded, whirling around and casting his heavy eyes down on the girl. "I ain't giving you an order to explain everything when you work it out anymore than he is. All he wants is to make it better, and since he can't do that, it's driving him nuts. There's nothing he can do, so I've gotta suppose there's nothing I can do, either." Haru's expression did not alter in the least. Her face seemed to be frozen in that same empty expression that bore a striking similarity to that which she wore on the day of Shimori's death. "I get it… it's too complicated for me, right? Nothing simple an idiot like me would understand."

"I never said that."

"You don't have to… either that, or you're having problems with Kuchiki-taichou. One or the other."

"I never said that, either," Haru answered flatly. "You have erred in your logic, as I never said you were not smart enough to understand, and the only problem I have with Kuchiki-taichou is his refusal to return my glasses." Her hand wandered to her face, brushing against the spot that their frames typically rested against her nose, but finding the absence of that which she desired more than existence itself, she heaved another downhearted sigh and allowed her hand to fall. "How can I hope to beat him… in the condition that I'm in?"

"What's that have anything to do with it?"

"He said he would not return them until I beat him properly. What he intends to convey with those words is something far beyond my comprehension." She paused to think the matter over again, pressing her hand over her eyes to seal out everything but the sound of their footsteps. "Kuso… that man is enormously troublesome."

"Yeah, but that's part of the reason you care so much."

"A valid point," she conceded before she could stop herself. Realizing the information she had just disclosed to the redhead, she covered the mortified blaze in her cheeks with her hands. Renji smirked in amusement, and a trace of anger dragged its way through her violet gaze.

"So, there is something going on between you two?" Instead of giving him a direct answer, Haru punched him in the arm with enough force to make him bite his lip.

"None of your damn business… I don't care if you are one seat ahead of me. I'll still crack your damn skull open in front of the gods and everybody."

"I'd like to see you try it, kodomo!"

"Oh, we're back to that, are we?" Haru demanded, pulling the sword out of her obi and taking a well-aimed swing in his direction. He blocked the blow with one arm while his other closed around Zabimaru's hilt, but before he could free the blade of its prison, she had already disengaged and aimed another strike at his hip. He had no choice but to take the blow considering its speed and position, but its force caused his feet to slide across the ground. "Quit calling me kodomo… my name is Haru… Yamashita Haru… and you will refer to me as such or you will face the consequences."

"Giving me orders, sanseki?" he countered. "That's rather bold of you."

"Bold would be kicking your sorry ass instead of letting you slide."

"I dare you to try it."

"Fine, but do not say I did not warn you," she murmured in a dangerously low tone, unsheathing her sword and shooting towards the redhead with every ounce of speed she had. When their blades collided, several heads turned as Haru was pushed back. Not one to let things like that go, she ducked beneath his katana when it flew at her head, wrapped one ankle around his, and skewed his center of balance to the point that he could not catch himself. After putting her weight on her hands, she thrust her other foot into his stomach hard enough to bring him to his knees. By then, they had attracted quite an audience composed of Renji's subordinates. His eyes seethed up at Haru, who had turned so the left side of her body was closer to him than her right but her head was fully turned in his direction. Something like a growl escaped him as he shoved his breathlessness into the far crevices of his mind and shot towards Haru.

Renji expected her to counter again, but she moved around his blade instead. In fact, she did so repeatedly to the point that his frustration mounted unparalleled levels. Somehow, even the chaos became rhythmic to him to the point where he forgot everything but swinging the blade and watching as Haru moved casually around every strike he cast, even when he paused in the midst of one and began another. _The hell does this kid think she's doing, pissing me off like this and then just walking around Zabimaru like it's to be taken lightly when it's unreleased? If I did that, though… _ The faint sting of Senbonzakura raced across his skin, a reminder so powerful that it felt real. In diverting his attention, Renji wasn't aware that Haru had at last put the sword in her hands to good use and that his wrist, which burned with the recollection of a wound from the past, was actually wounded in the present.

Haru paused for a moment, as if coming back to the recollection of what she was supposed to be doing, but that didn't stop Renji. He lowered his katana despite the look on her face that plainly stated the absurdity of their fight. Absurd or not, Haru's body acted on its own, raising the blade that hung in her hands to block his strike. At a complete deadlock, they struggled for dominance as Haru again lost herself in the intricate tapestry of their battle. She felt her feet slide across the ground, causing her to augment the force she expended on her blade. When it was met with an increase on Renji's part, she gritted her teeth and challenged him with another adjustment. _This is… _ The words ceased their trek through her conscious thought while she again countered the pressure with which she kept Zabimaru at bay. _It is undeniable that I am physically weaker than he is. Then why am I fighting him this way? Is there not a better strategy? _

No sooner had she considered the superior might of Renji when a burst of flaming red reiatsu erupted around his body and successfully separated their blades. Once it cleared, Haru simply stared him down, her eyes flickering critically with every subtle change in his stance. Nothing existed in that moment other than her opponent and their respective swords. The perspiration on her forehead and the quicker rate at which she took breaths served as reminders of her effort, but her gaze remained untouched by such things. They were a blaze of raw determination, as were Renji's. _This is unreasonable… yet I still cannot surrender. Nande? _

The sting of an open wound interrupted her thoughts. She had not noticed it, but at some point during the battle, his sword had scathed the side of her neck, creating a wound no deeper than a paper cut, but with sweat dripping into it, her injury stung beyond the usual level. Raising her hand, she ran her thumb across it and allowed her eyes to fall shut. As expected, Renji took the first opportunity to charge, using shunpo to close the distance between them in half an instant. Propelled by instinct, Haru swung her sword and countered his hit with more force than he gave, forcing him backwards. The typically placid eyes opened, revealing two frighteningly serious orbs filled with a silvery-violet cocktail. "You will pay for that wound, Abarai Renji," she murmured in a low tone.

Before he could process the words, Suzaku flew against his sword again with greater force. The barrage of strikes that fell upon Zabimaru was unavoidable, and try as he did to evade a single swing of her sword, Renji found the task impossible. Haru left no opening for Renji to dodge; every time he moved his blade, her own shot against it, ringing out with the thrill of the fight as Haru gained another step forward. A feeling swept over him just before the turning point, and he got the notion that she wasn't aiming to cut him but to meet his sword. The recognition of an opening tore through her eyes, and once Zabimaru was out of her way, Haru thrust her foot against his chest. More or less, it didn't hurt, but it did knock him on the ground, where he remained stationary for a moment before rising to his knees. Using shunpo, Haru closed the distance between them, glancing down on Renji with less condescending eyes this time. Then, she extended her hand to him, motioning that he take it until he complied with her silent request. By the time he was on his feet, a soft, subdued smile filled her expression and broadened as he wiped the sweat off his face with his sleeve.

"Not bad, Haru," he stated, grinning as he sheathed his sword.

"You are not so bad yourself," she returned, resting the now sheathed katana against her shoulder. "Though, I think we should focus on our current task. Kuchiki-taichou was rather explicit in his orders."

"What d'you think I've been doing?" Renji demanded, motioning to the mesmerized cluster of shinigami. That shy side of her self emerged as she turned away, contemplating whether or not flight would do any good in such an instance. Before she could drift too far into her thoughts, a sharp flick across her forehead drew a startled cry from her. The redhead's gaze, and every ounce of authority in it, bore down on her with great intensity, as his hand fell heavily on her head. "For one of them child prodigies, you sure can be absentminded. And here the orders came from Kuchiki-taichou himself…" For some reason, the mere mention of the name gave her strength to strike his arm away and escape his grasp. She touched the top of her head to ensure that he had not inadvertently flattened it and stilled the venom in her gaze as she glanced to the group of shinigami, who at the moment were murmuring amongst themselves as if they couldn't decide what to make of what they had just seen.

"She's really good."

"So is Abarai-fukutaichou… do you think his arm hurts at all?"

"It didn't look like a serious fight… I wonder why he held back."

"Who is she? Do you recognize her?" Shaking her head in dismay, Haru's finger brushed the bridge of her nose where her glasses normally rested. More than anything, she wished their brilliant glimmer could hide her gaze as it wandered to them.

"Go on," Renji said from behind her, giving her a shove forward that caused her to stagger. "They don't bite." Quick thinking saved her from falling, and with the sword hanging from her left hand, she felt a little more confident. All talk fell to silence as when they realized she was approaching, and each of them looked at her with a curiosity that eventually goaded her into speaking.

"Ano…" Anxiety and respect convinced her to pause before continuing. "My name is Yamashita Haru… I was recently given the position of third seat. I look forward to working with you." Violet eyes disappeared as she bowed briefly, and when she rose again, she found them less suspicious and more amiable than before. Feeling more comfortable, Haru allowed herself to relax just before they bombarded her with questions.

"Haven't we seen you around a couple of times?"

"It is more than likely," she answered. "I have been acting as Kuchiki-taichou's voluntary aide for the past six weeks now."

"Where did you learn how to fight like that? Did Kuchiki-taichou instruct you personally?"

"Iie… Urahara-sensei taught me almost everything I know, but since I have been sparring him after work, I have probably been picking subtle patterns of his combative style up and replicating them unknowingly in my own."

"Is it true what they say? That you're really a noble?" inquired one particularly ecstatic squad member.

"I leave that… to speculation," Haru responded, giving them an ambiguous smile that seemed to draw them even deeper into awe. "If that is all, I'm afraid I must get going. Having been a fixture of Kuchiki-taichou's office for the past two weeks, I would like to see more of our headquarters before returning."

"Just one more thing." The voice came from her left rather than from directly ahead of her. She glanced to the source with fleeting familiarity and disbelief that ignited that familiar warm sense of belonging. "When the hell do I get a rematch, Haru-sama?"

"Takumi-san…" she stammered. "What… what are you doing here?"

"Being cooped up in that office, I figured you wouldn't have heard… I'm part of this division now, too." The expression on his face was both competitive and respectful. "Even though you're four seats ahead of me, I got in before you did, so you have to call me senpai now. Got that?"

"Very funny," Haru retorted, tucking her sword into her obi and placing her hands on her hips.

"You know each other?" Renji inquired.

"Do you remember when I acted as Shimori-san's substitute at the academy?"

"Sort of…"

"Then you should remember Fujiwara Takumi, the opponent that I faced in battle and defeated." A trace of resentment flickered across his expression at her final word, but he remained silent as she crossed her arms and wandered briefly into her thoughts. "I found his skill level worth remembering, Abarai-fukutaichou… as he is your division's seventh seat, perhaps you would do well to remember it." Haru's eyes flickered with something quite unfamiliar to him, a sort of subtle seriousness that she only showed when truly considering something, but her thoughts were again disrupted, this time by the very topic of her discussion, as he rested a hand on her shoulder and smiled.

"Glad to see you're still breathing, Haru-sama. I was starting to worry you were dead since I haven't heard anything about you in a couple of weeks. Nice job on the captain's exam, by the way… I'm sure Kuchiki-taichou was thrilled to learn you outdid him again."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she demanded. "That is absurd… I did not even come close to…" A triumphant smirk flashed across his expression, and an old shadow of arrogance slowly overcame his features.

"You may be good at a lot of things, Haru-sama, but you still suck at lying." Heated violet eyes burned into his back as he turned heel and began pacing slowly away. Knowing she had walked right into it, she sighed and touched the bridge of her nose, now missing more dearly than ever the glasses that shielded her emotions from the world. He mumbled some form of farewell without turning to face her, raising one hand in the air and waving once before flashing out of sight, leaving behind a group of startled shinigami, a speechless Renji, and a positively fuming Haru. She remained facing away from them for a prolonged moment, but when she turned to face them, there was an inferno of silent anger burning in her eyes.

"Renji…" The word was spoken flatly.

"H… hai?" She studied him for a moment, contemplating his fate. Renji tried in vain to read what method of killing him she finally settled on and whether she would quicken the process by drawing her sword and cutting him with the blade or simply beat him to death while it was still in its sheath. Then, with an upward glance at the sun, she flashed past him, resting a hand on his shoulder that caused him to flinch.

"It is time to go back."

"H… hai," he responded, this time more certainly than the last time. Haru put on a truly convincing false smile and bowed her head to the contemplative division members.

"It was nice meeting everyone," she stated calmly. "I look forward to working with you in the future. Ja ne." Haru didn't linger to watch them drift apart, but she did glance over her shoulder once, dismayed to see them still talking about their encounter with the elusive third seat. Shaking her head again, she raised a hand to it and looked to a rigidly walking Renji. "Is something wrong, Abarai-fukutaichou?" He stammered his protest and then fell silent, evading her gaze by turning his head to look at some imaginary shadow that had caught his attention. "You didn't by any chance get so drunk at some point in the past two weeks that you inadvertently shared that tidbit of information regarding the score of my exam, did you?" An audible gulp was the only answer she received. "Souka… that is what happened, then."

Violet eyes fled to the endless blue above them; Haru was still considering the matter as they walked along, and with every step they took, Renji's trepidation grew exponentially. Every now and then, his eyes would wander to the sword at her side, its ribbon swaying in time with her steps, and the silver rectangular piece of metal it was tied to winking the promise of death, but when he caught sight of her gaze again, he found not anger but a weighty trouble flickering in them. He gave their surroundings a cursory look, and finding that they were quite near the mess hall, grinned to himself as an idea presented itself to him. "Want some tea?"

"Hmm?" Haru asked, glancing up at him.

"It's kinda how we patched things up last time, so I figured it would work again."

"But I am not angry."

"Could've fooled me," he retorted, his brow twitching in irritation, but when he glanced back to Haru, she was smiling again, this time placidly.

"Nonetheless, tea is a wonderful idea. This respite should be enjoyed to the fullest, even if it is only a couple of hours." That was how he found himself in the sixth division's mess hall, sitting at a table on the floor across from Haru with nothing but a cup of tea and a dozen wild gazes of inquiry fixed upon them. She raised her cup until it lingered just beneath her nose, inhaling the scent as the steam caressed her face. Her eyes remained placid but serious, disappearing behind their lids as she took the first sip. A gradual smile worked its way across her face as the flavor filled every corner of her mouth.

"Damn it, you like tea way too much… it's like a drug to you. Next time I suggest it, just crack my damn skull open with that sword of yours."

"I cannot help what I like, Abarai-fukutaichou," she responded, still smiling as she set the cup aside for a moment to think. A dark thought tore across her gaze despite the expression she wore, and leaning her chin against her hand, she proceeded to withdraw into her own private thoughts. "When I informed you of the results of my exam, it was not so you would tell other people in a moment of drunken idiocy." There was a trace of anger in her voice as she spoke, drawing the icy fingers along his spine.

"Su… sumimasen…"

"Do not apologize. Your indiscretion is actually a good thing." Having been reassured by Haru's words, Renji raised the cup to his lips, enjoying a long drag of the fragrant substance filling his cup while wishing it contained sake rather than tea. "It will force me to tell him." At that addition, the tea caught in his throat, and a stream of it flew halfway across the table before he bent his head and coughed since his respiration had been arrested. Haru watched him for a moment, smiling grimly as she wiped the table's surface clean with her napkin.

"The hell do you mean you haven't told him about your exam yet?" The room fell entirely silent due to the volume of Renji's words, so much so that when Haru bowed her head under the weight of her guilt, he could hear the cross jingle softly on her wrist as she clutched it.

"There are… a lot of things I have not yet told him." Haru sipped her tea again as she mused, eyeing the vice captain through a curtain of steam. Fortunately, the subdued clamor of their comrades sprang up again; Renji's vociferousness was nothing unusual. "However, one thing must be kept a secret at all costs, until the proper moment."

"Bankai, right?"

"I never said anything about bankai," she retorted. "Anyway, I could tell him about it… but that would generate some problems. As for my exam, I can guarantee you that Byakuya-sama will take it as an affront on his pride. I do not wish to anger him. Besides, it is a trivial matter, as I was, at his request, not made a captain and placed instead under his watchful eye." Haru paused again to take another sip of tea before continuing. "One-hundred forty-eight… I suppose I shall be forced to confess that much to him now. These dreams are not helping matters."

"Dreams?" he echoed.

"Hai…" Haru's eyes grew dark again as she leaned her cheek against her hand, allowing the cross on her wrist to catch a glimmer of the light shining overhead. "I cannot speak of their content, as it concerns a highly classified matter…"

"Bankai, right?"

"You and your gods forsaken fixation with bankai… how many times must I tell you, I have not achieved it?"

"Warui, Haru… just trying to lighten the mood."

"I did not realize bankai was to be taken so lightly," she muttered, sipping her tea in a manner that emphasized her mild irritation.

"So, what about these dreams, then?"

"It is hard to say… exactly what it is about these dreams that terrify me more: the fact that I take up the role of murderer, or the fact that, before arriving at that point, I possess no shred of emotion whatsoever."

"Maybe it's nothing."

"Dreams like that seldom mean nothing. I dreamt of rejection before I revealed myself as the nineteenth head of the Yamashita family, and even though the rejection was that of the shinigami captains in my dream, it came to represent the rejection I exercised when dealing with the matter." Sighing heavily, she rested the tea against her aching head, allowing her eyes to drift closed. "No matter how long I think about it, no matter how many times I agonize and relive, no matter how well or how poorly I shoulder the agonizing trepidation, I cannot figure it out to save my soul. What should I make of it, Renji?" She looked to him with difficulty, her eyes imploring and robbed of their usual placidity. For that reason, he considered attempting to provide her with a serious answer, but the heaviness in the atmosphere caused him to scoff casually.

"Quit worrying."

"Demo…"

"Don't 'demo' me! It's not that hard! You're a smart kid; figure it out." The response suited him to the point of drawing a small smile from her that quickly faded. Her eyes widened as she eyed the wall behind him, flickering with a calculation as she downed her tea rapidly. "The hell's the matter?" She seized his arm without justification and dragged him to the door, ignoring his objections until he finally managed to escape her grip. "What's gotten into you?" he demanded, crossing his arms. "I didn't even get to finish my tea…"

"Forget the tea. It's past three o'clock!"

"Nani?" he cried in disbelief. Sure enough, the clock on the wall read thirteen minutes past three. A slew of expletives flew from his mouth as he seized Haru's arm, as she had done moments ago, and dragged her forward without explanation. "Doesn't feel that late to me, does it?"

"Do you honestly think Kuchiki-taichou will buy that excuse? You need to come up with something better!"

"Why me?"

"Because I suck at lying!" Haru retorted as they bolted along.

"Maybe I'll just say you passed out again…"

"Don't worry him like that!"

"He's probably going to be worried enough!" They continued to argue as they ran without regard of who was listening and who was in their way. Other than the occasional apology shouted by Haru, they took no notice of their observers. The entirety of Renji's attention was fixed on getting back to the office before his captain decided to send out a search party and place him on death row, and in light of Renji's rare attentiveness, Haru also remained focused on the task of returning with incredible haste. No longer was she aiming for the sky; she was simply aiming to avoid making him more furious than he would all likely be. For those reasons, Takumi refrained from interrupting them, taking himself out of their path just before being run over by the vice captain and listening as Haru's pardon floated back to his ears. Puzzled at their velocity, he glanced up at the sun, which from their angle would appear to be setting if they spared it any attention.

"Hmm…" he muttered, raising a hand to his chin. "I wonder why they're in such a hurry…"

Her legs were still sore from running, even though it had been hours since her mad dash with Renji back to the sixth division headquarters. Dinner was pure agony, simply because she sat with her legs folded beneath her as she always did, but Byakuya seemed too distracted to notice. He remained silent, and deeming his silence a product of some deep and profound thought, Haru followed suit with her host. The bath did nothing to ease her pain, nor did the few sparse moments she had alone before he entered his room and found her sitting rigidly atop his futon, her wistful eyes locked on the moon peering in through his window. He studied the endearing scene for a moment with a smile before sliding the door closed and soundlessly joining Haru. He placed himself at the girl's back, leaning forward just enough to nuzzle the back of her head as his fingers entwined themselves in a mass of nutmeg hair.

"May I ask why in heaven's name you were in such a hurry today?"

"I do not know what you mean," Haru responded, folding her hands resolutely in her lap. A frustrated sigh struck the back of her neck; nonetheless, he proceeded to explain himself.

"It is seldom that Renji is so… eager to return to his office after I grant him a two-hour reprieve. Furthermore, when I do grant him a break, he uses every second of it and then some. Yet you seemed to have talked him into returning half an hour early at a breakneck pace…" His recount of the matter was cut short, however, by the gentle trembling of Haru, which stilled his hands as it did his words. "Did something happen, Haru-kun? Are you in pain?"

"Iie… you misunderstand," she said unsteadily, turning to unveil her overwhelmingly amused smile. Allowing a slight laugh to escape, she quickly averted her gaze again. "As much as I would love to tell you it was because I missed you, that would not be entirely true. The truth of the matter is he took me to get tea at the mess hall since we had a bit of an argument, and when I caught sight of the clock, I was so panicked about taking more time than you gave us that I failed to realize its battery had expired."

"Souka…" he murmured softly, lacing his arms around her shoulders and drawing her back against his chest. One of his hands shifted to the place where her shoulder met her neck and raced across the faint laceration there. "Is that where this little cut came from?" When Haru didn't answer, he pressed his lips against it, drawing a gasp of surprise from her. Though she didn't protest, Byakuya could almost sense her need for comforting words rather than gestures, so he drew back, working his fingers along her hair as he spoke. "You two had an argument… what about?" The question brought a startling change about in her mood. The elation drifted out of her eyes which became two points of amethyst driving themselves into the moon. She stirred, this time with discomfort, before falling so still that he believed her asleep.

"The usual…" A gasp escaped her as one solitary finger ran the length of her spine, causing shoulders to quiver slightly at the restraint she had to put forth in order to avoid throwing herself backwards.

"How about telling me the truth this time, Haru-kun?" he said against her ear, winding his arms about her shoulders a second time and pulling her shuddering form against him. When she said nothing, Byakuya's grip tightened, causing her breath to hitch a second time. "And while you are at it, you can explain, to the best of your abilities, this mysterious ailment of yours." This time, his voice was more serious than amused, which drew one of Haru's eyes over her shoulder. A faint trace of how distraught he was shone in his eyes, a silent plea that she comply with his request despite her misgivings, and a reassurance that no matter what it was, he would not so readily cast her aside. With a sigh of defeat, Haru's head fell forward so her hair blocked his view of her eyes.

"One-hundred forty eight."

"You are speaking out of context, Haru-kun… what significance does that number have?"

"It is…" Haru paused, shifting her weight slightly to alleviate some of her discomfort. "It is… what I scored on the exam." The silence that followed was even more uncomfortable than the thought of what may have been going through his mind at the moment. Nonetheless, Haru made no efforts to pull away and locked her hands on his wrists to ensure that she would not be released. "Byakuya-sama… I hate outdoing you on something you have been doing for hundreds of years longer than I have. It feels like a crime… and had I known it was the captain's exam, I would have restrained myself. Forgive me…" Instead of the letting go she expected, his grasp on tightened, and his forehead found her shoulder. Once against it, Byakuya released an exasperated sigh that seeped through the fabric of her sleeping kimono and brushed against her skin.

"You may be a terrible liar, but your ability to keep secrets is exceptionally vexing."

"Arigato."

"It was not meant to be a compliment, Haru-kun."

"I know." Her tone goaded Byakuya into raising his head, and what little anger lingered in his gaze drifted away when he caught sight of the way she was looking at him. With another sigh, he took one lock of hair between his fingers, working it between them as he thought.

"Do you know why I brought you into this division?"

"For your own personal benefit, of course," Haru responded. "You are utterly hopeless without me."

"I will partly concede the point and respectfully note that I have survived without company for fifty years," he returned, presenting her with a brief smile that quickly faded. "The real reason I fought so hard to get you into the sixth division, while it was partly so I would not have to fret about others looking down on you, was to make you happy." Haru's flesh stiffened slightly beneath his fingers before relaxing again. "Though it seems… my fight to do so has only caused you untold amounts of misery…"

"If you think that is what's wrong with me, or that in any way my being there has caused my health to deteriorate, then I am afraid you are mistaken. I really enjoy working in division six, more than I have ever enjoyed any task in my entire life. The problem lies in myself, not in my circumstances." Her tone was so reassuring that, when Haru tried to wriggle free of his grasp, he more than happily allowed it just for a glimpse of her eyes. Unfortunately, his hunger went unfulfilled. Relieved as he was, he could not help but plant his head directly in her lap, at which point she smoothed the obsidian locks from his gaze and beamed at him, but it was a somber smile, one that quickly drove a wedge between him and complete contentment. "The truth is… I think Suzaku… is trying to warn me about something."

"Oh?" he inquired. "And why do you not just ask her directly?"

"That is why I am so troubled… she will not answer." Byakuya gazed at her for a moment, noting how clouded her eyes were with trepidation, but the hand moving gently along his neck made him forget what he was doing. "She only speaks to me in dreams now… I fear I have made her angry."

"Might your relationship with me have contributed?"

"Heavens, no… up until about a week ago, she was constantly demanding to know why I still put up with you, considering my score on the exam, but she was only teasing. Besides, she knows it is rational for people in similar situations to form bonds. Still…" She paused and leaned forward, casting her eyes downward until they found the responding glint of his in the dark. "I cannot help but worry about this, and wonder what the significance of this sudden silence is."

"Perhaps if you spent less time talking to me and more time sleeping…"

"It's helping me to talk," Haru argued. "And besides, I'm not… hey!" Her protest echoed through the silent room as he pulled her into a laying position while he himself simultaneously collapsed beside her. After a few fruitless moments of squirming, she sighed in defeat. The pair of arms encircling her shoulders would not loosen for a matter so trifle as a bit of restlessness. At last, when they did loosen enough to allow her to move, Haru found herself unwilling to abandon the warmth she had come into, so she turned around and pressed against it, curling into a ball to further thwart the efforts of the cool night air. Other than their breathing, the only sound was the sluggish chirping of a cricket outside and Haru's whimper of protest as his hands, which were seldom idle for long, began traversing her back.

"So, these dreams of yours… am I in any of them?" he inquired.

"Of course not!"

"Oh? You do not sound disappointed."

"Perhaps because you trouble me enough while I am awake," Haru returned, breathing a sigh of relief once his hands stilled. Clutching his sleeping kimono, she buried her face in it before peering up at him, at the serious look etched into his face that somehow managed to slay her smile. "Byakuya-sama…"

"You… have not been sleeping well," he observed, brushing his fingers along her cheek. "You have not been eating much, either. You look pale, and you move around a lot once you do succumb to unconsciousness." Haru was waiting for some accusation to slip past his lips, but it never did. He simply pushed them against her forehead and sighed heavily. "Then I can only assume these dreams are nightmares, and I suddenly find myself pleased that I am absent from them." One digit raced along her lips, drawing a flood of color into her face as she struggled to maintain eye contact. "You would tell me… if there was something I could do to help, would you not?" Without waiting for an answer, he gingerly brushed his lips against hers and drew away, only to become trapped by the arms that, at some point, wound around his neck. Nonetheless, she allowed him to draw away when he became startled at the vigor with which she returned his ministrations.

"It is a refreshing change to see you so embarrassed for once," Haru noted, smiling as she moved to burrow against his chest again, but a firm hand against her shoulder kept her from fully completing the motion. For a moment, she thought she had done something wrong, but from the way he was staring so intently at her, she knew that could not very well be the case, and so continued smiling, even when his fingers moved the stray hair out of her face.

_That smile… _he thought, his scrutiny growing slightly harder. _Gods… I have not seen that smile in two weeks. _Byakuya released the breath he was holding and rested his hand against her cheek, which, whether by some trick of the moon or of his own eyes looked more colored than it had moments before. The feeling of her own pressing against it only enhanced his relief and probed him to envelop the girl in an embrace that she never protested against. By the time he realized how tightly he was holding Haru, she was already sound asleep. Her own hands were gripping the edges of his sleeping kimono gently, but her face was lit with a pacified form of the same smile. _This is so irrational… _he thought. _The nightmares themselves are enough to think about, but to fall asleep before I get a decent answer out of her… and wanting to do anything in my power to make sure they no longer haunt her… it is all irrational. _That was the only thought that drifted through Byakuya's mind as his eyes drifted closed. _Still, for the moment, there is nothing more I can do. _That final thought left him with a weighty trace of desolation, but it was not allowed ample time to assault his mind since the hands of sleep were weightier still and far more enticing.

* * *

Hooray! It's over! Was it awful? Please say no… I need some positivity since I know my Brit Lit paper is going to be a literal bloodbath of ink. As a reward for surviving that beastly chapter, you receive the sequel's first Japanese lesson! Which may be even more exiting than the chapter you just read… XP

Iie: No

Arigato-gozaimasu: A formal expression of thanks. Apparently, I've been spelling it wrong the whole time… I'm too lazy to go back and edit unless I get a lot of complaints, which I'm pretty sure I would have gotten by now…

Hai: Yes

Kuso: Japanese curse words… tsk tsk. XD

Kodomo: Kid, a.k.a. Renji's favorite nickname for Haru.

Sanseki: Third seat/chair/what-have-you

Nande: Why

Ano: One of the two Japanese equivalents of "um" (etto is the other one, but I probably spelled it wrong… XD).

Ja ne: Good-bye (sort of informal and lighthearted)

Souka: I see

Sumimasen: I thought this meant "excuse me," but it can apparently be used as an apology, too, and it must be somewhat formal since Renji uses it when speaking to Byakuya…

Warui: Extremely informal apology, it's sort of like the American expression, "My bad."

Demo: But. It's hard to find since "demo" is an English word, but I'll do my best to keep on top if it!

Nani: What

For those of you who don't remember: If by some slim chance you don't recollect Takumi, it's because he's another OC of mine… no, he will not nab the place as main character, but he's fun to throw in every now and then. See chapters 11, 12, a little snippet of 16, and 17 for his appearances. He'll probably serve an important role in the future, so if you hate stories brimming over with OCs in the spotlight… well, he won't really be the main character. Please forgive me!

One last end-note, and you can go on your merry way. I did this at the end of my first chapter, and so I shall do it again: my ego is hungry. It feeds upon the reviews of my readers and fans, whether they be good, bad, or ugly. So please, feed my ego. Don't let it starve a pitiful death… O.O

On that note, I congratulate on making it to the end of the first chapter! I hope you enjoyed it, and I shall return valiantly soon!


	2. Chapter 2: Revelation

Chapter 2: Revelation

A/N: Oh, where for art has my motivation gone? Probably on vacation… it hasn't been here for about three or four days… imagine that. Anyway, I went on a little merry vacation on Friday, and apparently, I had a tutoring appointment Saturday, to which I say, how the hell was I supposed to know? I didn't get the confirmation e-mail I was supposed to, and the morons decided to call the home phone rather than my cell. So, I was oblivious until about 3:40 today when I got home, and man, am I bloody livid… that's money I kind of need… guess I need to focus on getting published, but I don't have any motivation for that, either. It really is a shame. I had such a good time at the party… to have it spoiled upon homecoming is just cruel. '

Anyway, I have a feeling I'm going to get relatively bad reviews for this chapter. Nonetheless, here it is. Forgive its poor quality if you can… I promise it will get better. Sorry the updates are taking so darn long… and forgive any typos, of course… I have no energy right now, and I probably didn't have any when I edited this. Without further ado, here comes chapter two… and I think things are moving too fast, but it's hard to tell. Someone yell at me if they are, alright? XD

_Chapter 2: Revelation_

The usual slamming of the door, combined with a stumble and loud curse, signaled Renji's arrival at the office… tardy as always. And, as always, the less than subtle arrival of the vice captain pulled Byakuya's attention away from the form sitting in front of him. With a frustrated sigh, he tapped his finger on the desk's surface. _One… two… three…_

"Sumimasen!" Renji stood in the doorway, hunching against it momentarily to make a vain attempt at catching his breath. For some reason, it always seemed to run faster than he did on work mornings.

"Well done… you were only thirty-four minutes late today."

"Ain't it a little early for sarcasm, taichou?"

"I wasn't being sarcastic, considering you were forty-seven minutes late yesterday."

"The hell? Why're you wasting time keeping track of my being late?" Without answering, Byakuya let his eyes fall to the form. Sensing the dolefulness in his gaze and his mannerisms, Renji combed the office with his eyes, noting one very important thing missing from its interior. The forms were all in place, and his captain was sitting in his chair with the same rigid manner and the same bland look of concentration plastered across his expression. Still, Renji had known Byakuya long enough to know something was amiss. "So, where's Haru?" Two chips of ice shot across the office in Renji's direction, but he didn't flinch when the struck him. He simply changed his posture from one of exhaustion to one that was more casual. "I figured that was it. So, where's she at? She exempt from working or something?"

"I don't know," he muttered.

"Come again?"

"Not that it's any of your business, Renji, but I am currently unaware of her location."

"Nice one. Now really, where is she?" The temptation to use senbonzakura shot through the air on the wings of his gaze, which, after paralyzing Renji, fell once more to the paper in his hands. "Wait… you were serious?"

"Get to work," was the curt reply.

"But… but taichou…"

"My patience is running low, Renji… do not push it further than you already have."

"Don't you even care?" the vice captain demanded. Again, Byakuya's eyes shot towards him, furious and… was that a trace of worry in them? Of course not; the regal Kuchiki was above worrying. Even so, the comment was enough to still Byakuya's hand, which hovered above the ink well as his eyes glazed over with thought. As much as he felt like goading his captain more, he resisted the temptation to avoid being skewered. "Why didn't you just ask her before she left? I mean… she comes to the office with you every morning…"

"She was gone before I even got up, just like that time before she was seated…" A possibility ran through his mind, so hasty that it drew him to a standing position. Renji glanced up as the chair scraped across the floor and his captain's shadow moved across the room. He barely had time to step aside before Byakuya crossed the threshold.

"Taichou?"

"I am going out," he answered. "See to what paperwork you can. I should be back before noon."

"Oh, come on!" Renji shouted. "You can't honestly expect me to sit in this office and do your damn paperwork while you go on some wild goose chase!"

"My apologies. I was under the impression that you wanted me to care." The sarcasm in Byakuya's voice only made him angrier. A growl escaped his throat as he turned to face his captain, but the space where Byakuya stood was empty. Try as he might not to let the frustration get to him with reminders that it was just in his captain's nature, that he was still blindly following class lines despite Haru's influence, that he was an arrogant slave driver when it came to paperwork who occasionally exercised more leniency on situations which he deemed warranted it, he couldn't help but growl again as he left the empty office behind. Such thoughts were useless, but the silent vow he made to drag Haru into a fight once they returned… that seemed to him a much more fruitful thought, and one that might actually help him get through his form-filled day.

Several hours before, unbeknownst to Byakuya and Renji, Haru left the side of her host in full uniform and stalked the shadowed streets of Seireitei. Other than Keiji, she encountered no one until the sun ripped that peaceful darkness to shreds and brought with it another fine day of clear skies. She sat on a roof for a long time, just watching the golden orb as it ascended at a sluggishly rapid pace. Then, imagining she heard her name below, she hurriedly cast her eyes downward. Deeming her observation finished, Haru abandoned her post and landed before the captain, smiling a greeting that he seemed to understand, even if he was still scowling. "Out for the usual morning walk, Hitsugaya-taichou? But isn't it a little early?"

"What about you?" he inquired, jaded eyes flickering suspiciously. A secretive smile spread across Haru's face, a silent refusal to give anything even remotely resembling a clear answer. Hitsugaya sighed in irritation and crossed his arms. He started forward again, glancing back to Haru, who stood gazing at him with folded hands and understanding eyes unhindered by any sort of glasses. Still, there was a timid glimmer in her gaze, an unwilling openness that served to offset his stern suspicion. When he started walking, it was Haru's nature rather than his silent command that brought her to his side. "Fine. If you won't tell me why you're out here, then maybe you can tell me how work is."

"In all honesty, I hardly consider it work, but it is as it has always been. I am more than happy to do what Abarai-fukutaichou fights doing tooth and nail. Arranging paperwork is not much of a job."

"He's still keeping you in that office." Hitsugaya sounded a little resentful at the news, and feeling Haru's inquiring gaze on him, he proceeded to offer further explanation. "Someone of your power level should be out there fighting." She said nothing to him, didn't even look in his direction. She simply continued forward with her pensive eyes on the road. "I don't understand this strategy of his…"

"He is only protecting me," she stated. An incredulous Hitsugaya threw his gaze in her direction. Finding that she looked serious, he tried to justify this desire to protect her in some manner with his own thoughts, but when he found none, he let a sigh of frustration pass into the air. "Powerful… it is a label I have often shirked away from, but I am beginning to see that it is legitimately applied to me. However, if what Ishi-nii tells me is true, I am also very reckless. I try to protect everything and everyone at the same time, and when I do that, I forget to protect myself sometimes."

"But why would he…" The rest of his question was left to the air, now graying with the approach of the sun. Haru's smile threw the remaining darkness into a disorganized, uniform tumult. It may have been his imagination, but there seemed to be a touch of crimson in her cheeks. Then, the radiance expired and left her expression placid yet solemn.

"He cannot protect me forever, though."

"Speaking vaguely… do you always do that?"

"Only when I don't feel like answering questions," she confessed, laughing at the sour look on his face behind her hand. "If it helps matters, I do it to Byakuya-sama all the time. Perhaps he only wishes to keep me alive until I give him clear enough answers." Haru smiled as if she knew the truth of the matter despite her speculation, and her accomplice decided the comment was given merely to allay his own curiosity. Then, a brief nostalgia crept into her eyes, something lost and lonely as if a void separated her from reality. Hitsugaya watched as she lost track of her steps, stumbled on some discontinuity in the air, staggered, regained her balance, and threw her now desolate eyes to the sky. _Another sunny day… I never thought I'd miss the rain so much._

"Haru." Her gaze snapped to the captain, whose leer had somewhat softened, and she saw her tactic of putting his curiosity to rest had only enhanced it. "Why did you become a shinigami so quickly? That is to say, why did you let him enter you into the Gotei 13 if it hurt you so much?" She said nothing, but her eyes moved to the ground. "Wouldn't it have made more sense to remain independent from us? At least that way, you could have visited the world you left behind." For a moment, he thought her extremely upset. Her shoulders quivered visibly for a moment, so much so that Hitsugaya earnestly believed she was crying, but instead of letting her emotions drag her down, Haru moved away from the wall's support and gave her silent answer. Her hand moved to the east, her index finger extended. The sun did not shrink back in fear despite the intensity in her violet eyes.

"I will rise above the sun, or I will fall to nothing."

"You keep talking about rising above the sun, but in reality, the sun's not really above or below anything. It's just a burning ball of gas in space. And besides, there are grander things to aim for in the cosmos. Do you reach for it because it's closer than any of those things?" She considered his words for a moment, relishing the cool breeze that swept through Seireitei as she pondered. Try as she might, Haru was too frazzled to think of an answer. Every step her mind took only carried her closer to the man whose side she left behind to embark on her morning trek. "This is one of those questions you aren't going to answer. I don't know why I bothered asking it." Haru opened her mouth to deny his accusations, but before she could, he flashed out of sight, leaving her alone in the growing morning.

Shutting her mouth grimly, she flipped the screen of her phone open. The pale glow met her eyes, revealing how much time had really passed. She still had half an hour, so she continued towards her destination and paused on the way to meditate briefly over her situation. _I cannot remember why it is we of the Yamashita clan always reach for the sun. For the life of me, why was it, otousan? _It was vain to ask a dead man for answers, so she threw the question to Suzaku. That was an equally futile effort considering the zanpakutoh's voice was lost for one reason or another. _Why is it that you ignore me, Suzaku? What have I done? Have I angered you? If a hollow was to attack me this instant, would you answer my summoning? Would you be willing to go as far as I asked? Suzaku, please… answer me… _

But only the wind answered her. With a desperate sigh, she drove her fist against the wall behind her, gritting her teeth at the feeling of stone against her knuckles, which felt warm despite the cold morning air. "Kuso," she muttered, bowing her head and clenching her jaw as the rain she so desperately missed began to fall.

"You are late." Haru neither flinched at the comment nor removed her gaze from Genryuusai, who rested his weight on the heavy wooden cane. Instinctively, his eyes wandered to her hand, which she instinctively hid behind the folds of her hakama. Nonetheless, it was difficult to hide the sound of blood dropping against the floor. "Eighteen days ago, when I assigned you to the sixth division, you showed such happiness, yet you now show me a face full of sorrow."

"It isn't that," she responded ardently. "It's just…" Even the thought of articulating the matter was enough to cause her pain. The mark on her back erupted with an intensity that threw her balance and nearly dragged her to her knees. Feeling the heat in Genryuusai's gaze erupt, Haru steadied herself and threw her head into a bow. "Moushiwake arimasen… I have not been sleeping well. Please forgive me." She couldn't help but sigh inwardly that the captain commander accepted her excuse. Still, the sternness in his eyes alerted her that his anger or concern, whatever it may be, was not spent. He took several steps across the room and gazed out his window at the white hot sun peering through it. Several drips, spaced apart in time, interrupted his scrutiny, and sensing his frustration, Haru clutched her knuckles tightly.

"Sit down, Haru-sama." She wasn't about to argue with him, not with the way her head was spinning. The prospect of being in his office for a while did not bode well with her for some reason.

"Is there some matter you wish to discuss with me?"

"Patience, Haru-sama. There is a time for business, but that time has not yet come. First, I think it best that you get that hand taken care of and eat something."

"I'm not hungry."

"What a shame… and here, I went through the trouble of ordering breakfast." As if by clockwork, there was a knock on the door. The next thing she knew, there was food sitting in front of her. Nonetheless, she refrained from touching it despite the protests of her stomach. "I knew in your haste, you would forget to eat breakfast. I understand if you refrain from eating it, but I do recommend the tea."

"Tea?" she echoed. So, that was the thing casting steam on her face, the thing sitting amidst the simple breakfast that seemed irresistibly appealing. Without any command from her mind, her fingers moved towards the cup and closed around it. At the slight pain in her knuckles, she recoiled only to have her hand snatched away at the last moment. Haru would have yanked it away in defense had she been conscious enough to contemplate her situation. Instead, she only threw her gaze in the direction of the person holding it. "Miyake…san?"

"You certainly are clumsy, Haru-sama," he stated as he wrapped her hand. "You're lucky I worked in the fourth division before getting transferred to the first. I'm still a little rusty, but at the very least, I can do this much for you." In the short time it took him to speak those words, he had finished applying bandages to her knuckles, and with a mere bow, the shinigami took one last look at her eyes and disappeared.

This time, when she reached out for the tea, she ignored the interruption. Lifting the cup to her nose, she inhaled its light scent before taking a single sip. "It's nice," she murmured when she realized Genryuusai was waiting for her opinion. "Lavender and chamomile… a nice change from the ginger tea Byakuya-sama insists on drinking almost every morning."

"Yes, well, that boy is so young, he still needs tea to jump start him in the morning. I prefer something more relaxing, something with a taste potent enough to still my nerves through nothing more than memory. In all my years as a shinigami, this is the only tea that will do so." A ghost of a smile glimpsed Haru's face as she shut her eyes and indulged in another taste. The flavor lingered for a moment before passing, but the memories it summoned remained. Black processions and dark days, solitude, those eyes… "Haru-sama?" Had it not been for that summons, she would have slipped into her inner void, so she sighed her thanks and continued consuming her tea. As the elderly man wielded his chopsticks with ease, he scrutinized the girl sitting before him. "I don't know much about quincies or humans, but I know plenty about youth, having once been young myself. You are feeling conflicted about something, but what?"

"That's just it," she confessed. "I don't know. I don't know what's happening to me." Startled at her confusion, he paused with his cup hanging in mid-air to give Haru his full attention. "Everything is physically fine, and I know I should be overjoyed about this opportunity to work with Byakuya-sama and Renji, but inside, I feel so hollow. I…" She cut herself off to collect her words, and with a sigh of composure, she continued. "Lately, I've noticed changes in my reiatsu, changes too subtle for anyone to notice. I feel like something is going terribly wrong in the human world, and perhaps that is why it chooses to change now. What's more, Suzaku… Suzaku has not said a word to me in over a week. It's normal that we talk a lot… because she was all I had when I left Urahara-sensei to make my own way. Something is muting her words, or making my ears deaf to them… perhaps these little shifts in my reiatsu…" When Haru finally looked up, she saw a look of deep concentration spread over the elderly face.

"How unusual," he murmured. "That you claim to speak so much with your zanpakutoh, and then the words simply cease."

"Onegai…" Haru stopped and bowed her head, casting her eyes to the tray of food before her. "If you know anything about this, if you think you can tell me something, then… then I don't care what it is. I wish to know."

"There is nothing you can do."

"Demo…" she cried, but her words of protest melted away under the fiery gaze of the captain commander.

"If what you told me is true, which I have no doubt that it is, then you have nothing to worry about. Give it another week or so, and if it has not subsided, take it up with Byakuya-dono, though I'm not sure why you have not done so already."

"He just… seems like he has a lot on his mind right now," Haru replied. "I do not wish to trouble him any more than I already have… though I fear he is beginning to grow vexed over my early morning disappearances."

"I would imagine so. He truly cares about you, Haru-sama." Nothing could hide the crimson blush that spread across her face. Still, her happiness was as clear as her mortification. Forgetting her restraint, Haru began to consume her breakfast, noting the way the elder shinigami watched her every movement and analyzed it behind his closed eyes.

"I have stood in this office three times since I came here: once for our introduction, once for my exam, and once for my seating, and every time I come here, I anticipate the alteration of my authority in some way before I leave. Tell me, for what reason are you doing this?" The scrutiny on his face vanished when a pair of fiery violet eyes locked on his, and some decision to forget formalities, to make things as curt as they possibly could, possessed him.

"Become a captain."

"Come again?" Haru's brow arched at the absurdity of his words, words that he, for some reason, saw no absurdity in. "I do not understand, Soutaichou-sama… I have only been a member of the sixth squad for a little under three weeks, and you are already harassing me about leaving? If Byakuya-sama knew, he would probably fight tooth and nail just to keep me." Genryuusai said nothing, and his only motion was to stand, using his gargantuan cane to aid him. "Besides, I am not eligible to be a captain. I have not killed a previous captain, nor do I have any desire to. I do not have the endorsement of the remaining ten squads. Furthermore, while I have passed your exam, I did so unknowingly, and then, there is the matter of bankai, or rather my lack thereof."

"You cannot fool me, Haru-sama."

"But I don't…" Again, her words were cut off, this time by a sharp pain shooting through her back. The only sign she gave of possessing such agony was a grimace as she, too, rose to her feet. "Do you think it was a mistake to put me in the sixth division? Is that why you're pressuring me now? Now of all times, when I shoulder enough problems to keep me busy for the next month or so?"

"No pressure," he returned. "It is an open-ended request. Since Aizen left, my aim has been to build a chain with no weak links, and I feel you will greatly benefit that endeavor."

"Soutaichou-sama, I am not captain material."

"You are a noble and a born leader."

"By whose standard am I noble? And since when was I a born leader? Remember what I am, and remember who wants my allegiance."

"You will not betray Soul Society."

"And why wouldn't I?" Haru cried, cutting through the air with her wounded hand. "Aizen could easily put me in a position that would make it impossible to reject Soul Society because I let myself get too close to the things and people here. One threat, one little threat, and my strength would cave."

"You will not betray Soul Society," he repeated, "because it would be more painful, both to you and to some of us here, to see you betray us than to stand and fight for the right to keep you." For the second time that morning, Haru stood with a startled look in her eyes, unable to say anything, unable to do anything but let her head fall. "I am well aware that your allegiance is very valuable to Aizen. It is valuable because you are unique. Your heritage is something almost unheard of, your power is vast both in strength and diversity, and you seem to know where that power would best be invested. If you truly believed it was with Aizen, you would not have taken the pains to ensure the safety of shinigami at the cost of his arrancar."

"They are only low-level…"

"Irrelevant," interrupted the elder. "Aizen has witnessed your stealth, your agility, and that sixth sense of yours that lets you detect what escapes our detection for some reason. You are an asset he is willing to take losses to gain. Next time, the arrancar will be stronger." Knowing full well he was probably right, Haru bent her head to consider it. She imagined a pair of footsteps approaching, along with a highly controlled reiatsu, but she ignored both. "At least say you will consider it."

"There is nothing to consider. I am a member of the sixth division."

"Consider it well, Haru-sama. Opportunities like this are few and far between. Would you rather stain your hands with blood to augment your influence here?"

"I don't need your damn influence," Haru retorted, crossing her arms as she paced the length of the room, hiding from the captain commander's fury at her language. "The truth of the matter is working in that office and fighting at his side are more than enough to make me happy."

"Content, perhaps."

"I thought you said there was no pressure," she returned. "You are being contradictory, Soutaichou-sama." Pleased to see that, for once, her intellect was enough to best that of her inquirer, Haru folded her arms behind her back and stared at the sky. _It feels right, but at the same time, it feels so wrong…_ A gentle knock on the door made her flinch and whirl towards it, her face painted with a quarrelsome and deliberate glare, her hand coming to a rest on her zanpakutoh's hilt. It gave her no comfort.

"Yamamoto-soutaichou, there is someone here to see you. He says it is urgent."

"Send him away. I am in a meeting." Haru had to keep herself from scoffing. That she would be seen as important enough to send someone carrying urgent news away was absurd.

"But sir…" pleaded the messenger. Haru felt a faint flicker of reiatsu, an authoritative energy that asked for nothing but demanded everything.

"I think… you may want to let him in," she murmured. "Not to undermine your authority, of course, but if you do not, he may wind up killing someone." Genryuusai muttered something about letting him in and seated himself, not even flinching as Haru did when the door flew open. Two icy eyes locked on her, demanding answers of any form she saw fit to give, but she didn't even gift him with a glance. She simply threw her violet eyes towards the sky and gazed at the vast expanse of Seireitei.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Byakuya-dono, of this unexpected intrusion?"

"Merely an explanation, if you would be so kind as to provide one," he responded.

"She is here on business, nothing more, I can assure you. I only fed her because she looked a little worse for wear when she came in." Nodding in understanding, he scrutinized Haru for a moment before his eyes fell to her hand. With a start, she concealed it behind her, staring shamefully at the ground.

"Though you are my superior and thus have full power over Haru-kun's professional life, I would appreciate it if you ask before borrowing her. She is rather helpful in the office, and I find working without her a rather vexing task." With every step forward he took, Haru wished more and more that she could shrink into nothingness, even disappear, because the light in his eyes was just too much. "If your business is finished, we should get back to the office, preferably before Renji has a conniption."

"As you wish." At the same time Haru breathed a sigh of relief, she inwardly cringed at the thought of being alone with Byakuya. Nonetheless, she straightened her shoulders and bowed her head before moving to exit, keeping her eyes averted as she stepped across the floor. Just as she was passing Byakuya, he held out an arm to stop her. She obeyed his silent request, avoiding his gaze as it chased her own around the room. He released his breath a little too quickly and settled for turning away.

"Come, Haru-kun."

"Hai." When they exited the room, Haru found herself in a dimly lit hallway. She still wasn't sure why she followed him despite her trepidations or why, when his hand sought her own in the empty air, she happily obliged him. A slight cry worked its way from her lungs when he squeezed it, having forgotten it was injured. The only sympathy he gave was an apologetic look cast over his shoulder, but it reassured her to some degree. Forgetting where they were, she crept closer and touched his upper arm with her left hand, pushing her forehead against his sleeve as she wallowed in her shame.

"Now, will you tell me what is bothering you?"

"I do not know what you mean," Haru responded obstinately.

"You have not been yourself for several weeks, and I cannot help but wonder the cause." He peered at Haru briefly as they stepped into the sun, not even blinking as it touched his eyes. "Though I now feel I am a little closer to finding it. Tell me, what business does Genryuusai-dono call you here to discuss?"

"Nothing important." She squeezed his arm a little tighter, but her eyes were still hidden.

"You are good at so many things, Haru-kun, but lying is not one of them." No answer, not even a glance, but Byakuya felt the tremor working through her frame as she clutched his arm. "Is he going to transfer you to some other division? Is that why you are so frightened?" Suddenly, the grip on his arm became a pull, and he realized Haru had stopped walking. She stared at her stationary feet and released him, folding her hands while making sure her eyes were not visible to him. "Is that it?"

"Byakuya-sama, I…" She gnawed on her bottom lip for a moment before continuing. "I need to tell you something."

"I am listening," he reassured her. Haru swallowed the lump in her throat and briefly glanced at him. He was still staring at her, waiting intently and patiently for her to proceed. It was then that the realization began to dawn upon her, the realization that, despite all her bravery and conviction that she would tell him, the words would not leave her mouth. The sting of tears broke her concentration, and she pressed her palms over her eyes. Unfortunately, for all she felt like crying, all rational thought told her she had no reason to. Haru could still feel his eyes on her, feel the touch of concern in them as it flitted across her skin. She told herself to pull it together, to think of something happy she could truly believe in. "Haru-kun?"

Byakuya was started that, when her hands fell away, she was smiling. "Arigato-gonzaimasu. Everything you have done for me is… it is a debt too large to repay. Still, I hope to return what you have given me someday, with interest."

"You owe me nothing, Haru-kun… just that smile of yours." When his palm pressed against her face, Haru leaned against it, sighing softly as his contentment spread to her. "I hate to ruin the moment with clichés, but you are free to tell me anything."

"I know."

"Then why do you insist on keeping secrets from me like this?" Haru laughed at the vexation in his tone, prying his hand away from her face and matching the rhythm of his steps as they began forward again.

"Only because it makes things more interesting."

"That is not a very good reason," Byakuya noted.

"Why not? It seems perfectly fine to me."

"Perhaps because you are the one keeping secrets…" Her smile escalated to an amused grin, cutting off the rest of his words in favor of scrutinizing her expression. It proved to be more contagious than he thought, for the slightest smile ghosted his lips before he could stop it. Then, he regained his control and peered forward. _What is it? _he asked himself, his hand twitching as her reiatsu gave a noticeable shift unlike any he had ever felt. _What is it that you are trying to tell me? _Byakuya stole another glance at Haru and decided against asking. Not only would it prolong her happiness, but it would allow him to enjoy that smile for just a little while longer.

"So, everything's fine, then?" Renji asked, shifting his eyes from Byakuya to Haru as they completed their routine tasks. Haru had that same thoughtful look on her face, broken only by a placid smile. Her knuckles were bandaged, but Renji said nothing about them. He was too busy casting questioning glances at Byakuya, who he swore was smiling faintly. In his usual manner, Renji couldn't manage to make heads or tails of either of them. Then again, perhaps their lack of verbal responses had something to do with it. "Could you stand not to give us a scare for a day, Haru? Honestly… he worries about ya even if he doesn't show it." Haru's hands stopped moving, and her eyes rose to meet Byakuya's. Even though they denied the accuracy of Renji's words, she knew him well enough to know wherein the truth resided. She smiled to herself as she continued, letting her surrounding smelt away as the task of paperwork consumed her every thought.

"Renji."

"Hai, taichou?"

"Get back to work." He sighed indignantly and began walking back to his office, but when he felt a more gentle gaze on him, he couldn't help but stop.

"Arigato, Abarai-fukutaichou. I know I am troublesome, but you watched the office when Kuchiki-taichou could not. I'm afraid I am responsible for that, so…"

"It's fine," Renji interrupted, wanting now more than ever to disappear behind his office door. "Just don't let it happen again, or I'll have to kick your ass. Got it?"

"As if you ever could."

"We'll see." Once the door was closed, Haru breathed a sigh of relief, relishing their solitude and the way it motivated her. On occasion, she took note of his wandering eyes, finding her and goading her along at an even faster pace, if it was possible.

_This is nice, _she thought. _I can forget a lot this way… just for a little while._

_Don't think you can forget…_ Haru's eyes snapped open, and her hands faltered. She rose to her feet, throwing her white shadow across the black nothingness that surrounded her. It stirred unnaturally as she turned in circles, trying to find where the omni-directional breeze was coming from. _Don't forget…_

"Suzaku!" The name tore from her before she could restrain it, tore into her solitude before becoming one with it. "Suzaku… why are you doing this? Why? What did I do wrong?" Haru was nearly in tears now. She was still alone with her snowy shadow, still trying to find a direction. Disoriented to the point of not knowing up from down, Haru settled for sinking to her knees and trying to compose her thoughts. _I shouldn't be feeling in here… not in here… _ Her thoughts became audible words in her ears and echoed through the darkness, mocking her stupidity. She covered them and leaned forward, trembling as she stared downward into nothingness. "This is… this is the realm of logic."

As if to mock her further, her own words answered. _Memories, feelings, dreams… they are all logical for sentient beings. To lack them is to lack heart. To lack heart is to lack freedom…_ Having forgotten her own words, Haru uncovered her ears and considered them.

"You accepted feelings as a part of this place, Haru-sama. That is why they exist here."

"Suzaku…"

"Do not forget," said the voice.

"I do not understand, Suzaku… what am I supposed to remember? Is this some kind of punishment? Have I done something wrong? Tell me! Tell me, and I swear I'll try to redeem myself!" Haru covered her eyes as the wind warmed and shifted, tossing her unrestrained hair about relentlessly. She would have looked at it, but the darkness was blinding, ignited with an intense fire that whirled around her. Haru reached for her zanpakutoh and found it wasn't there. _I should be scared… terrified… but I'm not. I'm not scared at all. _She reached a tentative hand out, touching the fire whirling around her, and as if at her command, it scattered into ashes that touched her skin and clothes on the way down.

"Stop denying me, Haru-sama."

"Nani?" she inquired, glancing down at the ash in her hand. Suddenly, she realized the ashes on her hakama were turning the black fabric white. Haru turned about bewilderedly, trying to shake them off of her, but it was no use. A trace of trepidation broke her composure, and she whirled around when the feeling of eyes pierced her, hoping to see her zanpakutoh's avatar in all her avian glory, but instead, she saw a memory of a dream. Her eyes widened as she watched, listened, relived, and when she could bear to do so no longer, she glanced at her hands. "Suzaku…" she murmured, gazing at the weapon in them, at the blood that coated its edge and her hands. "What are you trying to tell me? Are you trying to tell me that… I have to…"

For the first time in days, the bird appeared before her, tail winding about on the empty air as she drifted between Haru and her dream.

"I won't," she said firmly. "You can ask me to do anything else, but I won't kill him!"

"Then you will suffer death in his place."

"That's a lie!" she shouted, stepping back. She wanted to cast the weapon from her grasp, but she had nowhere to throw it, nor could she find the resolve to relinquish her grip on it. "Neither of us have to die. We are both important in this world. There are people we wish to protect… both of us. And even if they are different people, I still…" Suzaku's eyes grew grim as she listened to her wielder speak. She sighed heavily and drifted towards Haru, moving her wings to propel her through the vacuum around them.

"You were always that kind of person, Haru-sama. Always shouldering the worse of two fates by yourself, trying to bear the world's pain alone even when you knew you had no part in that world."

"But I have a place now." Haru straightened her shoulders and let her weapon hang at her side as she gazed into the void. "Maybe that place won't always be the sixth division, but for now, it is. I intend to keep living, and I'll make sure he does, too."

"But Haru-sama…"

"I don't care what he is, and I don't care if you say there's no way for both of us to live. I will find a way." The resolution in her voice was enough to shake the void, draw a hairline crack along its walls. "Seireitei may not agree with that decision, and I know Byakuya-sama will be opposed. Still, it is something I promised sensei I would do before I died." Little snippets of dialogue floated through space, echoing around them and spreading the resentful curiosity. Mostly, it was Haru shouting incoherently, demanding answers that were perpetually refused, but the anger soon melted to sorrow, and there knelt at Urahara's feet in an image not far off a girl in a school uniform, head bowed. With no loose hair to hide her tears, she shed them freely despite the eyes peering out from beneath the brim of his hat.

"Sometimes, people have to take suffering on their own shoulders," he stated in a consoling tone. "You can't always take it for them. Understand?" She was still shaking with tears yet unshed. When Urahara's arm stretched out, Haru seized it. The moment she did, the memory scattered into ashes and became nothingness once more. Suzaku drifted alongside her, blue eyes flickering as she studied her wielder.

"There is a way."

"I know," Haru stated, moving her right hand and raising the weapon to her eyes. "This is the way, isn't it? I cannot deny it."

"The Kuchiki will not be happy."

"I will help him get over it." A violet gaze touched the crimson bird, who ruffled her feathers and landed on her wielder's shoulder, preening her feathers as they stood surrounded by walls of darkness. Haru admired it silently, swiveling her head in every direction before choosing one and beginning to pace forward.

"Saying you will use it is not enough to redeem yourself."

"Nani?" Haru demanded.

"You have denied me. Therefore, the only way you can gain my forgiveness is by acknowledging me."

"But I still do not…"

"Your noble tongue is too pure to be touched by the lying ways of your grandfather." After abandoning her perch, she looked critically down at Haru through the vacuum, down at the knowing yet startled Haru as she let her right arm fall. Her hold on her weapon never once wavered, not even when all certainty left her eyes at the realization of what Suzaku wanted her to do. "You have spoken venomous words in the past, and I understand that. You hid your heritage from everyone save the one you call brother and the one you call sensei. I can't help but believe you when you say the Kuchiki is important to you, but why is it that you lie outright to him?"

"It is for the best."

"There are those who think otherwise," she murmured. "Remember, Haru-sama, that I am a part of you…"

"Suzaku…"

"Which means the way I think…"

"Don't go, please…"

"Is sometimes the way you think as well." There was a smile in her eyes as her wings carried her higher into the void. Haru could only watch as the avian's opacity faded and eventually vanished, leaving behind a solitude so painful that it physically hurt. At its sensation, her jaw clenched, and her hands closed around something soft. Soft… yet she had just been clutching her sword. Her eyes shot open to reveal a whir of color so overwhelming in diversity that she shut them with a groan almost immediately. It was odd to smell, too, for the void had no scent. The faintest traces of sakura drifted into her nose, and a clean so intense that it had to be some sort of hospital.

Until she could make sense of up and down, Haru was helpless. Once she had, however, she managed to roll onto her stomach, and, setting her palms against the same softness, she slowly pushed herself until she was on all fours, head hanging lower than the rest of her body as gasp after gasp peeled past her lips. Her forehead felt cold and moist, probably from the sweat, but it was nothing compared to the unbearable burning sensation in her back, as if Suzaku refused to let the matter go even for a moment. A shadow crossed her light, trying to get her back into a laying position with as little force as possible, and when Haru tried to rebel verbally, she found she couldn't speak. Only one word willingly slipped past her lips. "Bankai," she gasped, keeping her eyes fixed on the white sheets beneath her. The pressure on her shoulders finally let up, leaving her to move as she willed, but she lacked the will required to move at all.

"What in heaven's name are you talking about?"

"Are you really that dense?" Haru demanded, gritting her teeth as her head throbbed and a wave of nausea overwhelmed her stomach. "It is not like you did not have your theories and suspicions, even after I lied and said I lacked bankai." Only silence followed her words. For a moment, Haru thought she was alone. The belief escaped her, however, due to the piercing gaze locked on her back. As the pain dulled, her breaths became steadier and more uniform. Her disorientation subsided, allowing her to sit up and survey her surroundings. She recognized the room as one at the infirmary. It was late, later than it should have been, for the sun was sneaking closer towards the horizon despite her denial that that much time had passed. The weight of time itself bore heavily upon her, drawing a heavy sigh from her as she folded her hands in her lap. Haru was finally ready to look at him. He drew a quick breath at the seriousness in them and forced the lump down his throat with a gulp that bordered audible.

"Haru-kun…"

"You said I could tell you anything, Byakuya-sama, but that was the one thing I couldn't tell anyone. Not even Ishida knows. Neither does Urahara. I've never told anyone about it, I never think about it… I just acknowledge my mastery in silence. I saw no other option at the time… and I am still uncertain of my decision to tell you, but Suzaku… Suzaku thinks it is for the best, and I am in no position to argue with her." Haru tried vainly to read his expression. The mask of stoicism usually didn't interfere with her attempts, but at that moment, she silently admitted his concealment was nothing short of flawless. She felt the familiar ache rise up in her, that sorrow so deep and profound that the mere act of thinking hurt. With a sigh, Haru swung her feet over the bed, placed them on the floor, and, once she had her weight on them, turned away from her captain. "You may not always be direct with me, Byakuya-sama, but you have never told me an outright lie. This is the second time. I cannot justify that sort of thing, not even if I try. I…" Haru stopped, debating on whether or not continuing her thought had any real benefit. Nonetheless, it was in her nature to hate leaving things left half finished. "I do not deserve you. Not as a captain, and certainly not as anything more. Forgive me…"

Before she could even take one step towards the door, a hand closed on her arm, gentle enough to allow her escape if she willed it. Haru swore she felt his fingers trembling, though whether it was anger or something else, she couldn't tell. "Are you trying to leave me, Haru-kun?" She paused and thought his question over, tensing when his grip became looser and eventually fell away. Part of her mourned the loss of the contact, but an even bigger part of her mourned the loss she cast on herself as penance for her dishonesty. It didn't take much thought to propel her feet forward, but she only managed two steps before a single word cut through her resolve and through the silence. "Matte." Her steps came to a standstill, almost as if Byakuya's word was an absolute order given in a military emergency. Haru had no choice but to wait and bear the silence, as unbearable as it was having his gaze drive into her back. "Even if it hurts to see you walk away, I will not stop you, but I will say this much: you are more than worthy of me, Yamashita Haru. In fact, it may be me who is unworthy of you."

"Baka," she murmured after a moment of silence, turning to Byakuya and casting her now placid eyes on his own. "Why must you say things like that?" When he didn't answer, she guessed the reason, and it made her smile broadly. "Belittling yourself to make me feel better… honestly."

"It was an act of desperation." Byakuya reached out a hand and brushed it against her face. He would have drawn away had she not let her eyes fall closed and leaned against it. "Haru-kun, I would like you to take tomorrow off." To his surprise, her immediate reaction was not a violet objection. Her eyes fluttered open, conveying a submission that was overwhelmingly complete. Unsettled by it and by the silence that followed, Byakuya let his hand twitch a bit, drawing askance into her gaze. He wasn't even aware of the smile he gifted Haru with. "So…" he murmured in a low voice, drawing her closer.

"So?"

"I thought you were leaving."

"Do not tempt me. I can still leave."

"Can you?" Haru felt the familiar blush creep into her cheeks at that tone of his, especially since she was close enough to feel his breath touch her lips. The hand against her face meandered under her chin and tilted it just as her eyes fell closed. There was a change in the light as Byakuya leaned forward, then a loud bang that sent Haru retreating to a safe distance.

"The hell are you two doing, eh?" Renji asked in his usual suggestive tone.

"It… it isn't…" Haru began. Her cheeks were about as red as Renji's hair by that point, and she vainly tried to hide her blush beneath her hands. Byakuya, as usual, did not seem fazed by the unexpected interruption. He made a sound of acceptance and walked towards the door, his scarf swaying behind him.

"Knock next time," Byakuya retorted as he passed Renji, throwing him a cold look, "or Haru will be cracking your skull open." Haru flinched at the comment even if it wasn't directed at her. The tone could have easily frozen hell over. His shadow drifted across the floor before he disappeared. "Watch her, Renji. I need to finish the paperwork."

"Hai, taichou." Haru opened her mouth to object, but by the time she had gathered the will to speak, he was already gone. Renji rose an eyebrow at Haru, plastering a suggestive smirk on his face as he folded his arms. "So, there _is _something going on between you two…"

"Abarai-fukutaichou, please…"

"I thought it was weird, him lettin' you live with him and going out on a limb for you and stuff. Guess there's a reason for it…"

"Don't tease me…" Haru whimpered as his hand fell against her head. He didn't look amused anymore. In fact, he looked exceptionally serious.

"Look, you and him… it's all good and well. Just don't worry him anymore than you have to, and don't try tellin' me I didn't interrupt something. I'm not that stupid, Haru." A slight frown worked its way across her face despite her inner protests. Renji continued staring at her for a time before he spoke again. "Something ain't right with you."

"Nani?" she stammered. "What would give you that idea?"

"Usually by now, you're arguing with me, tellin' me your head hurts from having my hand restin' on it." Violet eyes peered up at him. Startled, desolate, a countless whir of emotions and sentiments, but greater than any was fear… fear of impermanence. Only once before had he seen eyes that frightened. It was the same look Rukia gave him when he was unable to carry her any further away from Aizen. The frustration of his failure made him push harder, drawing a breath from Haru as she attempted to hold onto her patience, but when the pressure only increased, she found herself unable to bite back her protests.

"Re… Renji-san… i… itai…" But he ignored her, and Haru gritted her teeth until she could bear it no more. She yanked the sheathed sword out of her obi and jabbed him hard enough in the shoulder to get him to let up.

"Warui. Just thinking…"

"That's a pleasant change." His scowl deepened at her words, and she laughed gently behind her hand.

"Why do you always do that?"

"Do what?"

"Act like everything's all right." Haru stopped laughing, cast her gaze towards a knowing Renji, and crossed her arms across her chest.

"It is the only way I know."

"Come on... you're a smart girl. Learn a new way."

"Such as?" Haru inquired. Without answering, the redhead turned and began towards the door. As expected, she followed him without argument, creeping sluggishly behind while taking note of the seriousness in his shoulders. "Have I been discharged?"

"As discharged as you're gonna be," he answered.

"Then I suppose you and Byakuya-sama are both aware of the prognosis?"

"I didn't understand all of it real well, but if I'm right, they just said something about you bein' overworked and overstressed and all that mental stuff just got to you. Made you pass out in the office. Kuchiki-taichou's a man with a pale complexion, and I didn't think he could get any paler until today when you just kind of keeled over real peaceful-like." Haru's steps ceased their forward movement as she came to the bottom of the stairs. Renji, who had already reached them, glanced back at the young girl. Her eyes were on the floor, shameful but happy in some sense. "I can't remember all that kid spouted off... he said it might have been because of you bein' half quincy, or maybe because you're at that age, but your reiatsu's been shifting around a lot. It's subtle but not unnoticable. Kuchiki-taichou seemed to know what he was talking about. Maybe you should ask him."

"Iie," Haru responded. "I have troubled him enough for one day." Renji pushed the door open and crossed its threshold. The sky that surrounded them was painted blood red by the setting sun, whose last light struck the top of several tall white towers. "Renji, do you remember the name of the young man who took care of me today?"

"Not really."

"Was there anything striking about him?"

"Other than the fact that he was smart, no," he said. Haru nodded in understanding and raised a hand to her chin. They walked along in silence for a time before Renji spoke again. "I just remembered... he said something about you moving out of Kuchiki-taichou's house and just takin' up residence in the infirmary if you're gonna get sick so often. Also said something about working yourself to death... quoted some Chinese guy. Hell, I can't remember it all." He turned to glance at Haru, to see if any of what he'd said benefited her, and when he found her smiling pensively, he raised a brow. "The hell're you thinkin' about?"

"Betsuni..." Her smile grew as she folded her hands. "I just know him is all. He is an acquaintance of mine from the academy." That familiar trace of boldness made her race several steps ahead of Renji. She turned to face him, her eyes flashing vibrantly. "And for the record, Poe was not Chinese. He was American."

"Crazy bookworm," he muttered, shaking his head and continuing forward. "I don't reckon I'll ever understand you." Someone else was coming towards them in the darkness, a shadow small in stature but huge in power. Renji held out an arm to stop Haru and squared his shoulders as the figure approached.

"Konbanwa, Hitsugaya-taichou."

"Abarai." His jaded eyes moved to the girl standing behind him, and she bowed slightly. "Haru." For the second time, Renji was surprised to learn just how many connections Haru knew. She smiled and folded her hands, tilting her head slightly. "You look better."

"Do I?"

"You were pale this morning." Renji did another double-take, but Haru seemed to take no notice. Her eyes moved to the sun of their own accord, meeting it with the usual competitive fire. A faint smile lit her face, as if she thought of something else for a moment before recalling her place. Her gaze disappeared, and she moved forward.

"I forgot why I was aiming."

"Nani?" Hitsugaya inquired.

"This morning," Haru confessed. "It is why I did not answer you. I had forgotten until just now the reason I reach for the sun." A gust of wind swept past them, lifting the ends of the silver ribbon that tied the restraint in Haru's hair. Her reiatsu shifted, this time of her own accord, as pure placidity worked its way through her body, her eyes, and even the hands that reached towards the setting sphere of light.

"Aren't you going to tell me?"

"Of course not." That sour look came over his face again, and Haru laughed gently behind her hand. "For one thing, there is more than one answer, and for another, it would take the fun out of things. Then again, it is worth keeping the secret simply to see you looking so jaded, Hitsugaya-taichou." At her words, his leer only sharpened. "All right, I was only joking about that last part, but honestly, if I gave people their answers when they asked for them, then I would be robbing them of their ability to think… so if you think about it, it really isn't fair that I tell anyone." Her elation weakened for a moment, driven off by a wince, but her smile quickly sprang up again. "I hope you will forgive me, Hitsugaya-taichou, both for my silence and for my request that we continue this discussion some other time. I am under strict orders to return home and get some rest." She bowed briefly before asking Renji to follow her with her gaze. After he copied her gesture, he raced after Haru, falling into step beside her and keeping his eyes forward until they had become indistinguishable from the growing shadows around them.

"Ain't you carrying this 'reach for the sun' stuff a little far?"

"I do not know what you mean."

"Well, if you tell everyone that, they may take it in a straight manner… ya know, not symbolic or anything like that." Haru considered his words for a moment. "You can't really be aiming for the sun. That'd mean leaving taichou behind."

"That man will never be left behind, Renji." Her tone was so certain that he refrained from questioning her. In the shadows cast by the nearly vanished sun, he could see Haru smiling again, though the reason escaped him entirely. "You see, I think so highly of him that he is already far beyond the sun." It could have been the way the sun's crimson rays struck her face, but Renji swore he saw her blushing, mortified by her own bold words. It was enough to transfer her smile to him, and he wore it even after she disappeared through the gate of the Kuchiki estate.

There… that atrocious thing is over. Now, to give you your Japanese lesson before I fall asleep and start drooling all over the keyboard.

Sumimasen: An apology of sorts… it can also mean excuse me.

Otousan: Father

Kuso: Hehe… swear word!

Moushiwake arimasen: Super special formal apology of doom!

Onegai: Please (can you tell I'm out of it yet? XD)

Demo: But

Hai: Yes

Arigato-gonzaimasu: Formal thanks.

Arigato: Same as above, sans formality.

Nani: What

Matte: Wait

Baka: Stupid, moron, idiot, what have you… XP

Warui: A highly informal apology.

Iie: No

Betsuni: Nothing

Konbanwa: Good evening

And now, for a well-deserved glass of water… and a hopefully 8-hour sleep. Wish me luck with all the garbage I have to put up with… i.e. school, take-home exams, etc. etc. It never ends… . Thanks a lot for reading, and again, I apologize for the craptacularness of this particular chapter, but I swear on a stack of Bleach manga that it will get better… hopefully. Oyasuminasai, dear readers!


	3. Chapter 3: Questions

A/N: Behold, my not so valiant return! Unfortuantely, the valiance wore off in a measly two chapters… woo hoo. At any rate, I have not given up hope for the success of this sequel and will continue to write it despite feedback. I understand people are horrendously busy nowadays… no thanks to the happy return of happy school, which people happily return to… and at the risk of sounding less redundant and sarcastic than I really am, I dare say, I am so happy that college happily consumes every happy moment of my time. Not that I'm not enjoying myself… it's just so much work… and I'm starting to adjust to being poor since I haven't been getting any tutoring appointments (happily; it gives me more time to do my class work).

Well, I can't really say much else since I'm kind of tired, except my sincere and happy hope that you happily indulge yourself on this happy chapter! Immense gratitude to all my readers, reviewers, and fans as usual!

(A/N to the A/N: People keep telling me I'm too pessimistic, so I'm trying to play optimist. Let's see how long this lasts considering the stuff I have to read for my lit classes. XD)

* * *

_Chapter 3: Questions _

"I do not see your purpose in being here, Haru-kun." She glanced up from her stack of papers to the captain sitting at his desk. He fidgeted when the unsettlingly lighthearted gaze meandered up to him. Ever since their conversation three days ago, Haru had been unsettlingly cheery… not that Byakuya was complaining. Furthermore, she seemed to be in better health, which was understandable considering her explanation. When he arrived home the night she had collapsed in the middle of doing her paperwork, his hopes of her resting were dashed. She was sitting up with her head in the only book of poetry he owned, looking tired and pale, but her complexion was explained by the touch of moonlight that was still visible despite having turned another light on. She didn't hear him come in, nor did she acknowledge his presence until his shadow fell across her light. Haru glanced up, her eyes focused and intense.

"I suppose you want me to explain myself." He didn't show a single trace of his surprise outside a single twitch of his hand. After seating himself rather abruptly, his head fell straight into her lap, causing Haru to give a startled flinch. "Byakuya-sama, are you feeling well?"

"A moment," he murmured. "Just for a moment, let me stay here." Haru complied at a level that far surpassed Byakuya's expectations, setting the book aside and smoothing the hair from his stony eyes. They were smoldering with an intensity that almost burned her hand.

"Is this because you are afraid that I would actually…" He didn't need to answer for Haru to understand. A contented sigh escaped his lips as her finger meandered along his jaw line. "I only wished to leave because I did not think you would appreciate being lied to."

"You only did it to protect yourself."

"Even so…" Byakuya's head shifted slightly, drawing a gasp from her otherwise composed lungs. The kenseikan felt cold against her leg. At the thought of her sleeping kimono parting, even if just enough for his hairpiece to touch her skin, an intense blush spread across her face. She was overwhelmed by longing and mortification, two sentiments that, rather than conflicting, complemented each other and melded into one awkward feeling that was amplified by the midnight eyes staring up at her. "I know you would never hurt me, so what reason would I have to protect myself from you?"

"A valid point," he murmured, smiling briefly. "Still, it is wise to be cautious." Haru digested his advice with a serious face. "I find it hard to imagine your power greater than that which I am acquainted with, so I must ask you if… if there is anything you can tell me about your bankai."

"I'm afraid I have never discussed it with anyone, so I am not sure what Suzaku would want me to tell you. However, I can say it is beyond comprehension. Even if I explained it, it would do no good. Understanding in this case only comes with experience."

"But you have never released your bankai in a fight."

"That is true," Haru responded.

"Then how can you understand it?" She smiled at the bewilderment on his face, the one that made his eyes pierce her like two slate flakes that shattered when her hand continued working its way along his pale face.

"I have experienced it in dreams, Byakuya-sama. What I have seen myself using it for lately… is nothing short of terrifying. I think it is Suzaku's way of warning me. I honestly hope so. I still cannot see myself killing anyone, least of all someone I feel I can relate to." Byakuya took careful note of how she avoided the name of whoever she was speaking of but refrained from pressing her for an answer. Her reiatsu spiked with a suddenness that drew him to a sitting position. She was staring out the window, up at the starry sky lingering overhead. "Do not be alarmed. It has been doing that from time to time lately, and every time it happens, I get this feeling…" She didn't fight the arms that encircled her. She clung to the back of his haori and let herself get carried away by that faint scent of sakura he always had about him. Before Haru got too comfortable, Byakuya's hands found their way to his shoulder and bid her to gently withdraw so he could look into her eyes.

"Can you at least explain this improvement in your condition?"

"Perhaps if I explain some things about Suzaku, it will become clearer." Haru folded her hands in her lap, and once she was certain Byakuya had no intention of altering his position, she drew a breath and began. "Suzaku is as every other zanpakutoh is, a physical extension of my reiatsu, and like any zanpakutoh, she has her own unique personality. While Suzaku is very shrewd in her manners and usually very kind, she is very strict in two matters of utmost importance."

"And those matters are?" Byakuya pressed when Haru stopped talking.

"Protecting me and my morality. She does not want me following the path of my cold-hearted, lying, manipulative grandfather. At the same time, she wishes to foster my intellect and reasoning power. So, considering this pattern falls in line with my other lessons, she refrains from speaking to give me ample time to think. She has never done so for so long before, so my worry and concern that I may have done something to anger or offend her interfered with my sleep. That is not far from the truth. She was angry because she thought I was denying her existence in denying bankai. I cannot really blame her for that." Haru gave a sigh and threw her eyes to a darker corner of the room, but Byakuya's hand quickly guided her eyes back to his. She wasn't in the mood to resist him.

"That explains everything… except those wild shifts in your reiatsu."

"Well, I am fifteen," Haru responded. "Is it not normal for shinigami my age?" Byakuya's brow arched, causing Haru to smile sheepishly and scratch her head. "How do I explain this? Well, when humans are my age, their bodies are in the middle of changing…"

"Changing?" She could see her words only had him more confused.

"Perhaps maturing would be a better word choice."

"Souka…" Byakuya responded, his eyes meandering for a moment before instantly shooting away from her. "And you think that, since your body is changing, your reiatsu is changing, too?"

"I was hoping you could tell me. It seems you do not have the answers after all." Haru sighed and dropped her forehead to his shoulder, clinging to his scarf as she buried her face in it. "I really am sorry for all the trouble, Byakuya-sama. I am supposed to be a help to you now, but instead…" She was surprised to be rid of his shoulder so quickly. Her apology was cut short by a pair of lips pressing against her own. Byakuya's stay was prolonged for a moment by the pair of arms laced around his neck. Then, he was allowed to draw away.

"You have no reason to apologize," he murmured, pressing those same lips against her forehead.

"But you…" This time, it was his index finger that pressed against her lips, silencing her protests before they were voiced.

"I expect you to be sleeping by the time I get back, Haru. I would ask you to stay in bed tomorrow and get some rest, but something tells me you have other ways of utilizing the day in mind." The startled expression on her face confirmed his suspicions.

"I really should not be taking the day off, Byakuya-sama… you are behind because of me, and…" Haru's entire body trembled when his thumb meandered across her bottom lip. That hungry look was in his eyes again, but he made no move to satisfy that hunger other than pushing her onto her back and pinning her momentarily by her shoulders.

"I am your captain, and this is my order: save your energy. You are going to need it sooner than you think." Haru still didn't know what he had meant in making that comment, even as she sorted through her stack of papers. The sound of her name put a stop to that; in her reflection on the past, she had nearly forgotten his initial point, that her being there on a Sunday, the day she typically stayed home from work and put in a few good hours of reading poetry or swinging her sword in the garden. Yet there she was, sitting with her legs tucked beneath her, sorting a stack of forms in her usual manner. "Why are you here, Haru-kun?"

"To serve my captain."

"That is not what I mean, and you know it." A smile of mischief spread across her face. She pushed one loose tendril of hair out of her face and looked to Byakuya, who tapped his finger impatiently on the desk. "You should be at home."

"I already had a day off this week. Besides, the only reason you're here is because my performance this week has been below par, and because you worried so much that yours was, too. Whether you acknowledge my hand in you falling behind or not is irrelevant. I was ultimately the cause of the problem and am thus responsible for being part of the solution." Byakuya was half-tempted to argue the point with her, but the resolution in Haru's silvery violet eyes was so strong, so tangible, that he settled for a brief smile instead.

"If only some other members of my squad were so responsible." By that, he no doubt meant Renji. Haru stifled a laugh and continued with her task, still trying to make sense of the comment he had made several days ago.

_Does he think something is going to happen? _Haru wondered. _Or perhaps he knows something is going to… _A frightening prospect raced through her mind. _Suzaku, you don't suppose he… he knows about Soutaichou-sama's offer, do you?_

_Of course not, _she consoled her wielder. _Haru-sama, have you noticed anything different in his behavior?_

_No, none at all. He is his typical stern self, although…_

_Although?_

_The servants have been doing a lot more running than usual. I noticed it when I spent the day there. They were constantly rushing by, so much so that I forgot all about poetry and watched them until you goaded me into practicing. _Haru's eyes glazed over with thought, and her hand wandered briefly to her chin. _If it was something important, Byakuya-sama, would have said something, _she decided, and augmented the vigor she put forth in performing her duty. If they kept up that pace, they would be finished by noon, which would still leave them with half the day. _Come to think of it, Renji has been acting strange, too._

_The redhead?_

_Hai. _She stared at her hands for a moment, which had paused in their workings to complete her focus. It was promptly applied to the delicate consideration of what may be going on, whether it was a matter of the entire division or of only the upper seats. _I wonder if this sort of thing is typical in Soul Society. _That gave birth to a whole new line of questioning, but Haru could not afford to spend any more time considering the matter than she already had. She thrust her attention onto the paperwork, her hands and eyes moving quickly over the forms before placing them into their rightful piles. Once the large stack was gone, she put the small piles on top of one another, set them on an empty part of the desk, and continued with the next one.

"Do not expend too much of your energy, Haru-kun," he murmured when he saw the rapidity with which she worked. It was as if he knew what preoccupied Haru's mind and wanted to goad her into asking him about it. Still, she had a better mastery of patience than Byakuya did, so she pressed onward with an inward sigh.

The moments slipped by with no noise between them save that of their labors, and before either of them knew it, the forms were all signed, corrected, and neatly filed. Haru folded her hands, beaming as she let the feeling of completion sink in, but she wasn't allowed to enjoy it for long. "Come, Haru-kun." Startled, she threw a quizzical look at Byakuya, whose gaze penetrated her from over his shoulder.

"Are we going somewhere?"

"Nowhere but home." It was not normal for him to be distasteful of his own manor, but he seemed to have a note of acrimony in his voice when he spoke. Byakuya had only started forward when Haru seized his arm in both of hers, clutching it with enough force to cause him slight discomfort. "Nandesuka? Is it a hollow?" She shook her head and settled for resting her face against it. "Then… what?"

"I just felt… like being close to you is all." His midnight eyes bore down on her with unbelievable force. They were curious, almost as if Byakuya didn't know what to make of her comment. "Ano… Kuchiki-taichou, can I… ask you something?"

"You already have." The faint ghost of a smile tugged at his lips when he spotted Haru's grin. Once her seriousness was restored, she tugged on his arm imploringly, causing him to lean to the side she was pulling. "However, I will allow you to ask another question."

"Arigato-gozaimasu," she responded, releasing his arm and bowing her head. Byakuya almost missed the contact until her eyes rose, shining vibrantly with a familiar sort of determination. Aside from her hands being folded in front of her, Haru stood before him with perfect military rigidity. "Would you do me the honor of being my opponent?" In light of Haru's condition, they had fallen out of the practice of their evening sparring matches. It was a silent consensus, one that they both knew was the right decision despite their desires saying otherwise. Now that the opportunity had presented itself, Byakuya's lust for that feeling of her zanpakutoh pressing against the blade of his own faltered beneath the weight of his doubts.

"Are you certain you are well enough?"

"I know this body very well, and it wants to fight you." Byakuya extended his hand, which Haru took in silence. His fingers worked their way between her own, bringing the slightest touch of pink to her cheeks. As they left the office behind, the full feeling of liberation set in. Nothing could keep Haru from smiling, not even her mind's sudden surge towards the next level of her power. _Suzaku…_

_Nandesuka, Haru-sama?_

_You have told me much about my bankai, but there is still one thing you have not told me. How… how will I know when to use it? Will you tell me when it is appropriate to do so?_

_You will know, _was all her sword said before Haru was dragged back into the world outside her mind by Byakuya's words.

"Nothing too elaborate, I hope?"

"I know, I know… I must save my strength. You keep saying that," she noted, her smile fading from a level of elation to a different, less distant level of thought. "Lately, I have been yearning… for a return to our old routine. My condition interfered with it quite a bit, didn't it?" It was still the same smile to his eyes, but beyond it lingered an apologetic undertone that served to discontent him. "Is something wrong?"

"Betsuni," he murmured thoughtfully.

"Then why in heaven's name do you have such a deep expression? If you keep frowning like that, then you will start getting wrinkles." His brows fell together despite Haru's warnings. Everything around him took away from his ability to consider the matter from the irregular rhythm of their steps to the slight squeeze Haru gave his hand when he didn't answer. "Byakuya-sama, is… something about to happen?"

"It is possible," he responded. "I was about to ask you the same question." Haru looked so startled at the comment that she actually let her eyes drop to the ground for a moment. "Nandesuka?"

"It's just…" She closed her empty hand around air and considered continuing. Now that she had started, though, Byakuya probably wouldn't let her stop. "I find it odd that we were thinking the same thing."

"Oh?"

"Hai… that a noble such as you could share any commonality with one such as me, leastways in mental processes, is both fascinating and astonishing." Haru fell silent again for a moment, then smirked broadly. "Perhaps we have been spending too much time together."

"I can assure you, Haru-kun, that such a thing is nearly impossible. Considering you are in my division and a resident of my house, it is only logical that we are together so often." Byakuya was startled to hear laughter coming from her direction. Though it did not impede her forward motion, Haru was laughing hard enough to feel the need to hide it behind her hand. "Did I say something funny?"

"It was merely your demeanor… so serious even when I am only kidding." Pausing in her steps, Haru shielded her eyes and gazed at the sky, at the luminous white orb hanging at its highest point. When Byakuya could walk no further without losing contact with her, he paused in his steps as a courtesy to her. He was about to ask her what she was thinking about when she stated, "It's so far away, but I feel closer to it than I ever have before, almost as if… as if I may reach the pinnacle of its arc soon, and the intensity of its brightness. Byakuya-sama…" Haru paused and turned her eyes to him, noting the force of seriousness attentiveness in his own. When she gently eased her hand out of his grasp, a forlorn look passed briefly over them. "If I do happen to rise above it, does that mean I'll get farther away from you?" Byakuya closed his eyes and considered her words for a moment, digesting them within the confines of his own mind while the silence dragged on.

"I do not see why you let matters such as this concern you."

"Demo…" Before Haru could further protest, he wrapped his hand reassuringly around her own, so certain of himself and of his gesture of affection that it crushed every doubt she possessed, right down to those concerning her next level of power. He started forward again, tugging her hand as a silent request for her to follow him. "Byakuya-sama," she said timidly after a moment of walking.

"Nandesuka?"

"Arigato." He took careful note of her lapse in formality, but it didn't bother him as much as it normally did. He was just content to see her smile again.

* * *

Haru stilled her breathing and swallowed the lump in her throat. After two lengthy rounds of sparring, one of which was briefly interrupted by Keiji, her arms felt heavy, her legs tingled with exhaustion, and her throat burned with the raw intensity of her inhalations. Still, she had managed one victory against him, and with only half an hour separating her from afternoon tea, she didn't have much time left to settle things. She sat against the wall and waited patiently while Byakuya gave Keiji orders in a low tone. "Stall."

"Demo…"

"If I wanted your advice, I would not have hired you as a servant." His gaze was unshakable, and though his brow glistened with the remnants of effort he had put forth fighting Haru, his breathing and sword were both steady.

"They are getting impatient."

"The agreement was that they would come here following all my terms. Remind them of that."

"Hai, Kuchiki-sama," Keiji said woefully, bowing his head and looking sympathetically at Haru. "May I ask… if you've notified Haru-san of this?" Byakuya gave no answer but turned away, having full faith that his servant would comply with his orders to the letter. Once he was sure of Keiji's absence, he glanced at Haru.

"Haru-kun, if you are too weary to continue, we will stop for the day."

"Iie," she responded, smiling. "Besides, I do not think I can endure a draw with you. The victor needs to be clear."

"If you insist," he murmured, watching as she struggled to her feet and shoved herself away from the wall. She swayed slightly, steadied herself, and took the hilt of her sword in both hands. The wooden sheath was tucked into the side of her obi, leaving the blade exposed to catch every fragment of light in the room that her eyes failed to capture. "I can see you are on the verge of collapse. Your endurance has improved slightly despite your condition, and your improvement pleases me. However, this final fight will push you to the limits. I feel you need more motivation than bragging rights."

"But I've never bragged before," Haru objected. "It wouldn't be right." Byakuya said nothing for a moment, unsheathing his sword as he parted his feet slightly.

"If you defeat me, I may return your glasses." She swore under her breath at those words. Of all the things true defeat could have meant, Byakuya gave it a definition so obvious, it put all her skills of seeking subtlety to shame. No sooner was she given that motivation did he slam his sword against her own, earning Byakuya an inch of distance. Not to be defeated so easily, Haru gritted her teeth and twisted Suzaku away from his grip, returning his strike with equal force as he tried clumsily to defend. "Your agility is still admirable."

"Arigato." That second lapse in formality caused his gaze to harden slightly, but seeing Haru's smile caused him to question whether or not it was a tactic intended to distract him from her blade. The pressure she exerted regained her that inch with high interest. Byakuya pulled back and took another swing, this time from the right, but all he met was her sword, which she held parallel to her body with its tip facing the floor. She utilized the opportunity, dropped a little, and lashed out with his ankle with her left foot, but she missed because he flashed to her other side and took another swing. Haru moved her blade in an arc, countering his from below and knocking it away. "And you are as fast as always, Byakuya-sama… honestly, do you ever get tired?"

"Perhaps." His vague response gave her competitive smile an amused element. After lifting his blade off of her own, he swung again, this time downward, in hopes of taking her by surprise, but Haru seemed to have planned for it. She moved just to the left of his sword, watching its descent with her peripheral gaze. The move left Byakuya wide open, and once her foot rested firmly on top of his blade, she thrust the hilt of her own sword against his solar plexus. The strike would have winded him had his free hand not moved to the area and seized her own. Haru's eyes drifted closed, and his grip tightened. "Focus on your opponent."

"Nani? Are you jealous that some other matter is getting my attention?"

"How absurd," he said coldly, raising her hand above her head. Her weight shifted as she tried to pull back; the fear of loss lurched through her, for his movement decreased the pressure she was putting on his sword. Just as he pulled it free, Haru abandoned her endeavor to keep his sword against the floor and wrapped her foot around his right ankle. Since it was the one that had the most weight on it, and because Haru's endeavor to escape his grasp had failed miserably, they both wound up in a heap on the floor, Byakuya sighing with difficulty beneath the weight on his chest. "You are heavier than I thought." Something hard jammed against his ribs, and a light expression of pain escaped him. He shut his eyes to avoid showing more than he had, throwing them to their shadows the moment he opened them. Briefly, they remained indistinguishable, but then Haru sat up. The movement drew his eyes to her, and he immediately wished he hadn't looked. Her hair was askew, her eyes burning with a dangerous concoction of boldness, triumph, and determination. When she smiled, a jolt of numbness swept over him.

"Well," she stated, "I'm on top, so I guess that means I win." Byakuya would have turned the tables, but with the way she was sitting on top of him, it would have been difficult to do so without causing her physical harm. One of his wrists was beneath her knee, and the other was held steady by her vibrant gaze and by her hand. "A deal is a deal."

"I never promised anything," he retorted. A silvery touch of impatience raced across her eyes.

"Give them to me." Byakuya said nothing, and his silence gave more power to the refusal in his eyes, which were locked on the amethysts lingering above him. "I have ways of getting what I want, Byakuya-sama. You know what I want, so hand them over."

"Iie."

"Why are you so obstinate?" Beneath her knee, his left hand twitched, as if it had somewhere it wanted to go. "Onegai… I need them." Byakuya's expression remained unchanged, which only served to frustrate Haru further. She heaved a sigh and bowed her head momentarily, granting Byakuya a sense of triumph that grew when she released his wrist. "I suppose I'll just have to get them myself." He opened his mouth to object when she pulled the top half of his shihakusho open, but the words got stuck in his throat. The air felt cool against his chest, still rising and falling quicker than usual because the effort involved in fighting her. All care of how questionable things may have looked to someone just walking in the room until he heard the door slide open. He tilted his head back and peered at the door, recognizing the feet of his vice captain immediately. Above him lingered Haru, her hands still clutching the folds of his haori, her eyes now petrified, her face a crimson shade of the utmost mortification.

They stared at each other for a moment. Then, that familiar grin flooded Renji's expression, deepening the red in Haru's cheeks until they were almost as deep as the vice captain's hair. "It isn't what it looks like!" she protested, virtually flying against the far wall, curling her arms defensively around her knees, and burying her crimson face in them.

"Yeah, sure," he retorted. "Anyway, I'll let you two finish up here. Just make it quick. They're gettin' a little impatient. Eh, taichou… didn't realize you were into that kind of thing."

"It is a misunderstanding," Byakuya said firmly, tucking his legs beneath him as he rearranged his uniform.

"That's not what it sounded like a minute ago." When he was given no answer, either from the blushing third seat or his composed yet slightly flustered captain, he shut the door and proceeded to vacate the premises. He set about rearranging his garments, keeping his eyes closed while he silently contemplated the situation he had just been in. Resistance was so simple, and yet he had done nothing except fill his eyes with the intensity in her gaze and the sheen racing across the loose locks of her hair.

_Why? _he asked himself. _Why did I do nothing? _The answer was sitting with her back against the wall, trembling fiercely out of what he mistook as mortification. Haru raised her head for a moment, stared at her hands with bewildered eyes, and immediately buried her face in them instead. "Haru-kun."

"I can't," she objected softly. Byakuya's brow arched at the noticeable quiver in her voice. He crossed the floor with light steps, and when his shadow fell over her, she kept her eyes covered. They were pried away by degrees, and she suddenly found herself looking into Byakuya's midnight eyes, confident, free of everything but some brand of intense affection she was unfamiliar with. She raised her head to get a better look at it, seeing that his pale cheeks were tinted the color of sakura. "Byakuya-sama…"

"You are cute when you blush." To emphasize his point, he pressed one hand against the side of her face. Beneath it, the trembling Haru stilled entirely. A faint smile crept across her face before she glanced away again. "You do not know how to deal with situations of this manner?" She gave her answer silently in the form of a single nod of affirmation. "I admit his timing is nothing short of atrocious. He is only early when it suits him, and in his case, his early arrival has served to make matters look a little questionable. I cannot help but be certain our audience will not fail to hear of this incident."

"Audience?" Haru inquired, tilting her head. Then, she felt them, the unmistakably foreign group of reiatsu within the Kuchiki estate. She was too tired and flustered to make any sense of them at the moment, but one stood out in her mind and brought a frown to her face. "Ichigo… is here." It troubled him to hear Haru mention his name in such a serious tone. "Then I can only assume he brought the cavalry, which means Ishi-nii is here, and Rukia-san… but why can't I detect Orihime-san and Sado-san?" Byakuya left the question unanswered, pulling Haru to her feet and imploring her to walk beside him instead of following as she usually did. Even when they were standing, he didn't release her hand. "Byakuya-sama, did something happen?"

"It is not for me to tell."

"Why are they here, then?"

"Does it displease you that your brother wished to come for a visit?"

"Iie… it isn't that… it's just…" Haru squeezed his hand and let her eyes fall to the floor. "All of this is unannounced, and you seem to be taking it so well…you aren't angry at all."

"I was given a week's notification."

"Souka," she answered. "You failed to mention it."

"I had other things on my mind." Byakuya admitted it with surprising hesitation. She turned to look at him, but he kept his gaze forward. Before she could further analyze his words, he took several steps in front of her, straightening his shoulders so the roku on his back was clearly visible. There was no doubt about it: he was in full captain mode. "Do your best to mask your frustration, Haru-kun. Despite Renji's interference, we have no reason to be angry with him as his nature is of the curious type."

"Hai." She let his fingers slip out of her own just before he opened the door. Nobody spoke as they entered, nor were any words spoken as Byakuya seated himself. Haru sat at his left side as always, keeping her sword propped against her right. The expression on her face was one of complete placidity. Not even her eyes betrayed her. She was still blushing slightly, but that could easily be explained by the effort she had been putting forth. "My apologies for not arriving sooner; I was taking care of a matter that needed tending to." Renji stifled a laugh. The way Haru was glaring at in him didn't help matters. Her gaze spoke volumes above her words: payment for any careless dialogue would be dealt later. The silence was rather unsettling, as was the way their company was staring at her. Rukia and Ichigo both looked shocked, and Ishida looked like he was about to turn Byakuya into a veritable pincushion. Byakuya felt her reiatsu pulse with an untold amount of fury. "You see, my troublesome host took something from me, and I was trying to get it back, but he can be rather obstinate in matters such as this."

"At least I am not exhausting," Byakuya put in.

"Oh, you are… more than words can say." Haru shrugged and let her smile grow. "You really take it out of me, taichou." After rotating her left shoulder a bit, she let her hands drop again, throwing another glare to Renji. This one proved to be more effective than the last. "What did you tell them?"

"Only what I saw…" Her reiatsu pulsed again, this time becoming visible before fading again.

"If it wasn't for the fact that I spent all my energy sparring with Byakuya-sama and the table between us, I would probably crack your damn skull open."

"You can't blame me if it looked and sounded questionable!"

"Renji," Byakuya said in a flat tone. It was enough to silence him for the moment. He then cast his stony eyes to Ishida. "I am a man of propriety. Rest assured, nothing happened."

"You're a shinigami. There is no such thing as propriety for you."

"I would watch my words if I were you, quincy. Otherwise, you will have no where to sleep but the street."

"I told you not to touch her."

"In all honesty, Haru-kun was the one doing most of the touching." At those words, Haru hunched forward and let her forehead rest against the table, its cool surface colliding with her heated face. She could almost feel Ishida seething with fury, and even though her eyes were locked on the wood, she could still see Rukia and Ichigo vividly in her mind, their mouths hanging open in utter shock. "Relax. It was a joke."

"You're horrible," Haru retorted, turning her head to look at him.

"Can I help it if I like seeing you blush?"

"Next time, I'm not holding back on you."

"That sounded like a threat."

"Perhaps it was."

"Do not forget I know where you sleep, Haru-kun."

"Yeah, right next to me, and if you even think about trying anything, I'll crack your damn skull open." The four visitors witnessed this dialogue with blank expressions, looking first to each other, then to the two arguing nobles. Haru lifted her head from the table, revealing that, despite sounding entirely serious, she was smiling. Byakuya seemed to make light of the threat, having heard it so many times and not seeing it carried out. "You certainly are troublesome," she sighed at last. "At any rate, I am happy to see you, Ishi-nii, but I am relatively certain you did not come all this way just to check up on me. Tell me, what brings you here?"

"That certainly was an abrupt change of subject," Ishida noted, pushing his glasses up his nose. His eyes appeared after the light stopped reflecting on his glasses. He looked a great deal more serious than before, drawing a surge of fear through Haru. "I wish we hadn't come to it."

"What happened? Is everything all right? Ishi-nii… answer me."

"It's your grandfather." Her eyes widened at the resonance of the word, picking up an uncanny silver hue as her reiatsu fluxed. "He says… it's time for you to take your rightful place." Haru digested the words for a moment. Once her eyes blanked out, they fell to her hands, which were now tightened around the folds of her hakama and shaking.

"Nani? Rightful place?"

"Ishida, what's this about?" Rukia demanded.

"Come to think of it, you were never really specific about your reason for dragging us here," Ichigo noted.

"That's right," Haru said, glancing up from her hands. The trepidation in her eyes was almost tangible. "You haven't been in Soul Society since before Shimori-san died, so you wouldn't know."

"Matte, Shimori is _dead_?" Rukia stammered.

"Hai… it was my fault. I couldn't save him." Byakuya was half tempted to order her to quit blaming herself, but she spoke before he could. "Of course, it's his fault that I have this problem in the first place. It was because of him that I embraced my father's name, and all the ups and downs that come with it."

"I thought you were just some school girl…"

"Yeah, I did, too," Renji retorted, "but there was always something about her, I guess. Plus, she started toting that thing around…"

"Renji, I must ask you to be more respectful," she countered, raising her left wrist so the cross around it caught the light. "'That thing' is a prized heirloom." It completely befuddled Ichigo, the sight of that cross swinging slowly back and forth. Her arm gave a swift movement, causing it to jingle slightly. "It's hard to become proud of what you are when the world thinks it so wrong. Shimori-san helped me see that didn't matter, and Byakuya-sama… he accepted me, so I suppose that helped quite a bit as well." When she smiled, there was a certain degree of acrimony to it. She watched the cross swaying gently while she contemplated. "A flower cannot blame time for its brevity nor run from its fate. That fate would lead me back to the family that disowned me is rather cruel."

"Since when was it your fate to become the head of the family?" Ishida demanded. "All you wanted before was to rise above the sun, and now…" Haru gave him a sorrowful look, but it plainly spoke to him about the perpetual inner debate she had with herself regarding the matter.

"I don't know," she murmured. "I just don't know anymore." Sighing heavily, she laid her head in her arms. "Byakuya-sama, would it be alright if I took a walk? I promise to be back before dinner." When he said nothing, she rose to her feet and managed one step before his hand closed around one end of the sash around her waist. Instinctively, she stopped moving, knowing that the fabric may not be strong enough to survive his hold.

"Let me go with you."

"But that's impossible," she said, smiling. "You have to tend to your company." Haru turned away, keeping her shoulders straight but bowing her head slightly. He knew it was impossible. The attempt was all that mattered. When Haru started walking forward again, he let the fabric slide through his fingers, following her back with his gaze as she walked towards the door. She made a request of Ishida with her eyes, and he rose to follow her. Haru slid the door open, pausing as she rested a hand on its edge and hesitating. "One more thing," she said, throwing a critical gaze over her shoulder, looking to a curious Rukia, a concerned Renji, and a downhearted Byakuya who showed no outward sign of sorrow. Her eyes fell at last on Ichigo, who flinched when those amethysts pierced into him. "Be careful, Kurosaki Ichigo."

No one dared say anything in light of Haru's serious tone. Before they knew it, she had slid out the door with Ishida, leaving behind nothing but loose ends in her wake. "Nii-sama, just who is that girl?" Rukia inquired.

"She is my third seat," he answered. "Do you have any objections?"

"Iie, demo… I was just wondering why she is still here."

"Where else would she go?"

"I… I don't know," Rukia admitted. "Moushiwake arimasen. I will not ask anymore questions, Nii-sama."

"Maybe you won't, but I will. Is she some kind of noble, Byakuya?" Byakuya didn't answer. He simply shut his eyes and tried to guess where Haru may be going. In his mind, he wandered after her, through the gate of his estate, along the street. So real was his mental trek that he almost felt Haru's hand pressed against his own, but Ichigo's clamor soon brought him back to the confines of his dining room. "Oy, quit spacing out and answer me!" Byakuya obeyed his orders with nothing more than an odious leer, contemplating whether or not he could somehow talk his way out of remaining and catch up with Haru. Already, her reiatsu was beyond his detection, and with a sigh, he swallowed his desires with the conviction that he should make the best of what he was given.

* * *

It was strange to see Haru with another person at her side, and another man no less. The air between them was different enough to keep the onlookers' tongues at bay. Still, they attracted surprised glances, especially from Takumi, though they didn't see him. He was perched on the roof of a high building with his eyes locked on the clear blue sea overhead when he detected the clouded reiatsu of his superior. Rolling onto his stomach, he crawled over to the building's edge and glanced down. Sure enough, there was Haru, but the raven hair beside her didn't belong to his captain. Curiosity drew his hand to the back of his head, and he scratched it, debating on whether or not to disrupt them. For the sake of letting Haru savor her time off, as well as continuing to savor his own, he shook his head and resolved to inquire her about her strange companion the next day.

"Someone was looking at us just now," Ishida noted.

"It was only Takumi-san," Haru reassured him. "And besides, enough people are looking as it is."

"Then you walk with Byakuya-san often, I presume?" She nodded her head, folding her hands in front of her and casting her eyes downward as a blush spread across her face. "Might I ask what really went on during your fight with him?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary, except today, I was feeling unusually bold and decided to attempt a full body search for the sake of recovering my glasses." She paused, running her index finger along the bridge of her nose as she contemplated their whereabouts or their fate. "I would search the office, but Byakuya-sama is very particular with the way things lay in there. I am almost certain he would know I searched it, and furthermore, it is too obvious a place for him to hide them."

"Is that all it is? Why not just let the matter go, then?" Haru cast a quick glance to Ishida, then immediately stared back to the ground. With a sigh of reluctance, she moved her gaze to somewhere else when she realized that the quincy's was locked on her. "You always wanted to be just like me when we were younger. Do you remember, Haru-sama?"

"Of course I do." His eyes rose to the sky for a moment.

"You would never dream of pulling a stunt like that now. Our difference in power is clear, our difference in status is also clear, but you still hang onto that one little part of yourself that you stole from me all those years ago." Once he was finished speaking, he pushed the glasses up the bridge of his nose, peering at Haru from behind a thin screen of light and glass. "It should be clear to you by now that you can never be like me. I've seen you try to sew; you wind up bleeding all over the fabric because you're so clumsy with a needle." How he stepped around the topic of her being a shinigami was a mystery. Still, Haru let him walk around that delicate subject without objecting. "I know this is sudden, but I need you to come back to the human world with me."

"It is no longer that easy to leave, as Byakuya-sama requires that I be in the office seven days a week." She managed to avoid the subject of her physical condition and her recent recovery from it in the same way Ishida refrained from mentioning her formal status as a shinigami. They were finally away from the city, submerged in a sunlight-spotted sea of trees whose leaves stubbornly clung to their emerald hue. The path beneath their feet turned to dirt, and all around them, there was nothing but silence.

"He's dying, Haru-sama." At those words, her steps ceased altogether, and once Ishida realized that she had, he stopped as well. He was surprised to find her emotionally stable. Had it been anyone else, she would have at the very least shown some manner of concern, even if she verbally denied it, but the look on her face at the news didn't even hold a trace of shock. Her expression was unusually hardened, her eyes focused on some distant thought she wasn't quite able to reach, her hands hung at her sides, stationary to his trained eye. "Will you show no remorse?"

"Am I supposed to feel sorry for him?"

"He's your grandfather, for heaven's sake!"

"My grandfather in name only." The movement Ishida had been waiting for occurred: her right hand balled into a fist, and her reiatsu fluxed wildly before settling at a slightly higher intensity than before. "Other than the money he provided me with and his sudden interest in making me head of the family, he has given me no interest whatsoever save the blame for his only son's death."

"And what would Tatsuhiro-san say if he heard you say that?"

"He wouldn't say anything. He's dead," Haru responded. When her eyes moved back to the quincy's, they were unusually dark. "If that is the only reason you came here, I must ask you to leave. You cannot change my mind."

"Haru-sama…"

"What is it?" she sighed, raising a hand to her temple.

"He's counting on you to fulfill that duty. He doesn't have long to live."

"And if I abandon it, what then? What will befall my so-called family that they do not deserve?"

"You never spoke like that before you left. What makes you say things like that now?"

"The hands of time have opened my eyes." She let her eyes move away from her nominal brother's but restrained the fingers that so wished to grasp Suzaku's hilt for reassurance. Still, she couldn't wholly deny the discomfort stirring in her, a discomfort whose cause was standing beside her, staring at her with a gaze that denoted her as foreign, different, possibly even unequal. Haru's steps ceased once again, and Ishida instinctively stopped directly beside her. Her hopes of his moving forward dashed, she gave him a brief glance. "I didn't plan for any of this."

"Life seldom follows plans made by mere nobles."

"What is he dying of?" The question hung in the air for a moment, a dark and ominous cloud that drifted between them. Silence fed its strength until the tension in the air was amplified to the point of breaking.

"Yamashita-dono has always had a weak heart…"

"Indeed, as it is incapable of loving anything but the body it is encased in."

"This is serious."

"What would you have me do, Ishi-nii? I can no more prevent his death than I could prevent my own. Fate has her way, regardless of what mere nobles desire. In that sense, it is much like your conception of life, yes?" The words stung him, and still he preferred them to the silence that followed. "I lost everything the day he died, everything except my mother and my own life, and in time, I lost those, too. You've lost someone precious to you along the way, but never your honor. And the very family you want me to rejoin… they took that away from me. Well, I've finally gotten it back, and I'm not about to lose it again."

"Haru-sama…"

"I have spoken," she said firmly. "Try for once to put yourself in my place, fathom my pains and the internal dilemma of a girl torn between familial and occupational duty. Soutaichou-sama can't see it either, so if you fail, do not get discouraged." She was allowed her thoughts briefly, while Ishida wavered on the cusp of action before finally taking the plunge. With one hand, she seized her left wrist, drawing the pearly iridescence of her nostalgic, vehement, and overall pensive gaze to his. Beneath his cold fingers, Haru's skin prickled. Had it not been for the fact that she considered him a brother, she would have labeled him a threat and pulled away. There was a new intensity in his eyes, one that she was unfamiliar with, but it lost all relevance once his words broke through the quiet.

"You don't think I feel the same way? I made it my duty to protect you, Haru-sama, because that day at Sensei's funeral, you seemed to understand more than anyone else the intensity of my grief. I made it my duty in spite of the way my father, the way the whole Ishida family, felt about your heritage. Understanding takes time to build, and I've had nine years to ruminate over the precise dilemma you are now trying to tell me I don't understand. Do you honestly think I lack a thorough comprehension of it?" he demanded, forcing her left arm into her line of vision. "Look. That cross on your arm, that's the only honor you need, but only if it makes you happy."

"I never asked to be protected."

"Have you suffered because of it?"

"You have." Those words fueled his growing frustrations, made the fingers twitch and grip her wrist a little tighter. "You have because I rejected your right to it. I do not need protected."

"You are noble, Haru-sama, but you aren't invincible."

"I made no claim to it."

"Your actions say otherwise." Her eyes peered at him, penetrating the lenses of his glasses and delving into the windows to his soul. "I was the only one that saw your vulnerabilities back then, unless you unintentionally revealed some to Urahara-san on occasion, but I come here to find you are completely comfortable in showing them to that… that man you insist on staying with, and to almost everyone you come in contact with, yet while I have you alone, you show me nothing at all. What is happening to you, Haru-sama? Is my desire meaningless?" Those final words broke the stern look of distance on her face. A quiver raced through her arm as her head fell, throwing a thin curtain of two nutmeg tresses between the quincy's eyes and her own.

"I'm sorry, but I am beyond protecting now, and beyond your reach entirely."

"Stop speaking in riddles, damn it!"

"That is the only answer I can give you at the moment," she murmured. "The only reason I act as I do is because circumstances have taught me to see past the lines of society. Why should I let them be imposed upon me and dictate who I can show my vulnerabilities to, or my happiness, for that matter? I am happiest when I am free of their confines. And so, this jealousy of yours is entirely pointless."

"What jealousy?" he cried. Haru's free hand came to rest on his shoulder, and with her eyes, she implored him to follow her words closely.

"I have trusted you for a long time now with the weight of my embittered sorrows. You have volunteered yourself as a go-between for the Yamashita clan and me. For years, you were the shoulder I leaned on in the most desolate times of my life, and when I find myself lost amidst a sea of life or needing advice, you are the first person I go to, because unlike Urahara-sensei, I know you will take me seriously. You are the only person I call brother, Ishi-nii, and nothing will ever change that."

"Demo…" But Haru's words cut him off.

"If my happiness is truly what you concern yourself with, then let this endeavor go. I have already been notified by Soutaichou-sama that running from my familial duty is foolish. What I desire more than anything at the moment, however, is an ample chance to ruminate on it without the interference of external influences. The least you can do is grant me that." He was at a complete loss. The fingers around her wrist slid off as the arm fell to his side and a blank look overcame his face. Haru tapped his shoulder reassuringly, then walked past him, the sash around her waist swaying in time with her steps. After a few of them, she paused to glance back at him. Her mouth opened, as if she considered speaking, but the words huddled in a frightened flock behind her lips, giving way to a slight sigh and a shake of her head.

"Is that why… you feel the way you do about Byakuya-san?"

"What brought that on?"

"Just answer the question."

"I would if I knew what you were asking." Ishida sighed again, clenching his fist but turning to Haru nonetheless.

"Do you… do you feel the way you do because he makes you happy?"

"Not at all. There are times when I feel very frustrated with Byakuya-sama. Still…" Haru felt the smile spread across her face as she considered their most recent encounter. "I have seen sides of him that he has shown no one else. But no matter what side of himself he shows me, I always find myself trying to guess what he will unveil next. He has become a subject of great interest to me, because despite all his talk of propriety, he continues to violate one of my family customs every night." She ran a finger along the length of one loose lock, but it didn't have the same effect as Byakuya's touch, partly because it was her hand and partly because most of her hair was restrained in her usual manner: bundled up in a black fabric pouch secured with a silver ribbon.

"And that bothers you?"

"No, actually… that does make me happy." Bewilderment overcame his timidity in an instant, and his shoulders slumped with the weight of it bearing down upon them. Haru laughed at his obvious confusion, covering her mouth with her hand as the delicate sound slipped between her lips.

"Your logic is madness."

"I never made a claim to sanity."

"Too true," Ishida responded. When his face grew serious, Haru's laughter stopped abruptly. "You know they won't let it last if you decide to take your rightful place as heir." This time, the quietude that settled in was somber, heavy like a thick raincloud on a cold autumn day. Despite the air being warm and the leaves barely on the verge of changing color, both quincy and shinigami were touched by a chill in the air. "Haru-sama, I want you to forget everything I told you about your grandfather."

"Nande?"

"Just do it." It was seldom that Ishida gave her orders of any sort considering her elevated social position, but when he did, Haru instinctively obeyed him. That subtle authority in his own eyes, no doubt a product of his status as heir to the Ishida holdings, subdued any rebellion Haru harbored towards his orders. Still, the wonder in her gaze didn't wane, and when he spotted it, a forlorn smile crossed over her face. "You are still spectacularly obstinate, Haru-sama." She hadn't heard those words in so long that her eyes clouded with tears, and, in a display of her spectacular obstinacy, she hastily turned her back to him. "Did I… say something to offend you, Haru-sama?"

"Iie…" Haru murmured, covering her mouth with her hand as if to keep her trembling words from spilling out. "I am… just happy… to hear you still think so, Ishi-nii." When she looked to him again, her misty eyes implored a forgiveness she could not bring herself to request, and he gave it to her in the form of a smile. "We should be going back soon."

"Can I ask you one more thing?" Haru nodded her consent, a signal for Ishida to speak. "When… when you warned Kurosaki earlier, why did you… that is to say, what exactly was it that that you were warning him of?" She considered his question for a moment before turning and walking back towards seireitei, but her steps soon ceased, her eyes taking flight and disappearing into the skies above.

"Kurosaki Ichigo… faces a threat beyond that which I can pose him."

"What are you thinking, Haru-sama? Do you know something?"

"That is all I can say," she replied sadly, "for as of yet, I know nothing more myself." So, they began their return to the Kuchiki manor, both completely in the dark despite the sun still shining brightly overhead.

* * *

It was later when Rukia cornered her, just as she was coming out of the bath. She barely had time to slip into her sleeping kimono when the shinigami's reiatsu slid down the hall. Haru could already sense the impending interrogation. With a heavy sigh, she began toweling her dripping hair, glancing at the black band around her wrist and noting how it contrasted the silver ribbon hanging from her hand. She had fallen into the habit of wearing Ishida's gift to her, his addition to her uniform, even while she slept. She only took the fabric bands off to bathe, and even then, Haru felt as if something was amiss without them… well, if it was, Rukia's inquiries were bound to help her find it.

"I have some questions for you."

_How did I know? _Haru asked herself. Nonetheless, she smiled at the Kuchiki before tossing the towel in a heap with the other soiled linens in a corner of the bathroom and exited the bathroom. She tucked the restraint for her hair into the obi keeping her sleeping kimono closed, freeing her hands so she could retrieve Suzaku. Once her hands were folded docilely around the wooden sword, her steps fell into time with Rukia's. "Perhaps you can answer some of mine as well, if you will permit me to ask them."

"What are you still doing in this house?" Haru stopped walking, looking puzzled and a little lost. While she hadn't expected Rukia to harbor any animosity towards her, she found herself surprised to encounter a clear expression of it. The smile on her face wavered for a moment but quickly regained lost ground. "You were assigned to a division. You should be in the barracks with the rest of the seated officers, or else in an apartment of some sort. Just what is your intention here?"

"You say it as if I have some kind of plot to kill Byakuya-sama."

"Where do you get off in addressing him in that manner?"

"He gave me permission to," Haru responded. "On my first day here, I asked him if I could call him that, and he had no objections. Nonetheless, I address him as Kuchiki-taichou when I am on the job."

"Renji has not been subtle about what he thinks about you two. While he hasn't complained, he hasn't openly accepted the idea, either." Rukia scrutinized Haru, watching as the girl held her sword, examining the way she gripped it. Her eyes finally wandered to the cross on her wrist, then back to the questioning amethysts that remained rooted despite the desire to fly. "You dishonor him with that shady background of yours."

"Rukia-san…"

"What family are you from? And why are you wearing that cross on your wrist? Just what do you know about Ichigo?" The color drained out of Haru's face. Of all the questions she could have asked, that final one was the only one Haru wished more than anything wouldn't come up. Her name didn't matter anymore, and the cross on her wrist signified only a noble past and her present pride. But Ichigo… he was the only issue she lacked the heart to address at the moment. Without a single word, she slipped past Rukia and continued pacing the hallway, but she was pursued by hasty footsteps. Rukia soon blocked her way, one hand on her zanpakutoh while her eyes burned with determination. "What are you going to do to him?"

Haru held her silence, refused to answer immediately. Instead, she took a walk through her memories to the day they had bumped into each other, and then to their second meeting. Never had she beheld more hollows than she had that night, nor had she ever in her life felt such a dark and intense reiatsu that fluctuated with a wildness coming close to matching her own. Even Aizen seemed like a trifle compared to the monstrous stirrings within Ichigo's kneeling form. Without a word or question of permission, she raised her shikai and forgot her restraint. Somewhere along the line, she was stripped of her glasses, which lay shattered on the pavement before the orange-haired boy, and the ribbon that sealed the black fabric pouch and restrained her hair was torn out while her back was turned. Fortunately, the claws that ripped it failed to reach her flesh, as a burst of kidou saved her from attaining any further damage. And in one instant, he had looked bewilderedly upon her, wheeling about with the golden flame of seishinhi trailing the blade of her sword. Their eyes met, just for a moment, and a horror unlike any other raced through her veins…

She saw straight through his eyes, straight to his hollow insides. She wasn't so much scared of that hollow as she was in finding it there. Ichigo's reiatsu hadn't been quite right since his return from Seireitei, but she always avoided bringing it up around Ishida on instinct for his sake. That day they bumped into each other in the hallway, that was before his quest to save Rukia, before Rukia had even come. But now… night loomed in day, the moon swallowed the sun in darkness, and within him, that hollowness grew like her own inner void. In some sense, Haru felt a deep kinship for Ichigo, a kindred sentiment that could only be felt for one who shared her pain of walking the line between three worlds rather than two. Still, she heard that hollow speak as Ichigo struggled against it, a voice without audible words…

But the hollows were attacking from all directions now. Ignoring her every desire to learn more about this side of Ichigo, she placed her entire concentration into ensuring their survival. Once she was finished, she picked her glasses up off the pavement, lamenting their bent frames and broken lenses. Tucking them away in her haori, she then moved to Ichigo, who was laying on his stomach, unconscious. He was safe from his inner struggles for the moment, so she did him one final kindness in return for the kindness he had shown her, the care he had used when lifting that final book off the hallway floor and laid it gingerly atop the stack in her hands. She took him home and put him to bed. Since he was in his physical body at school the next day when Haru slid past him in the hallway before lunch, she assumed he had figured it out. There was no recognition in his eyes or voice when he greeted her, and she kept her own subdued to an undetectable level as she returned it. It was her secret to guard, bearing in mind that Ichigo did nothing reckless.

Urahara never spoke to her about the matter, and her questions always went unanswered… how his silence vexed her. That was the day she swore to protect that secret, and, if need be, to protect the world from Ichigo, and Ichigo from himself. It was still her secret, though she was technically deceased. But Rukia was waiting impatiently for an answer; she had been silent too long. "I will do nothing that is not required of me," Haru responded. The mistrust in her eyes was undeniably potent. "Do you take me for some kind of common murderer?"

"What are you, then?"

"A shinigami. What else would I be?"

"A noble, perhaps?"

"I never denied being a noble," she stated, clutching her sword and wishing more than anything for the glasses that acted as a shield to her eyes when they were touched by refracted light. It was almost as if Rukia could detect her desire to shrink away. The hand on her sword tightened; Haru wasn't going anywhere yet, not until Rukia had thoroughly interrogated her.

"You claim to be noble, yet to my knowledge, Tokazawa is not a noble name. Tokazawa-taichou came from Rukongai. The academy rescued her the same way it rescued me."

"My nobility is on my father's side. If I told you his name, you would not believe me." Haru's eyes fell as she silently acknowledged the passage of time. Should the interrogation drag on too long, they stood a high chance of being interrupted by the master of the manor. Soon enough, he became the object of Rukia's inquiries.

"What is your involvement with nii-sama?" Again, she was driven to speechlessness by a mere question. Haru's mouth suddenly felt too dry to produce words. Swallowing did nothing to improve her situation, so she squeezed her sword tightly and spoke the only thoughts she had regarding the matter.

"I am not sure."

"How can you not be sure?" Rukia demanded. "You have lived in this house with him alone for over two months now, and you don't know?" Haru felt ashamed of her stupidity, so she continued staring at the ground while within her, the reiatsu fluxed and churned in its irregular manner. She could still feel Rukia's eyes on her as they crossed through her flesh and penetrated the wall behind her. Her spine tingled wildly as one particular change in her energy nearly floored her, but Haru wouldn't allow her pride to be so easily stepped on. She obstinately retained her balance, thrusting one hand against the wall as her shoulders hunched and the hand that held the sword trembled. Fortunately, with Rukia staring at her questioningly, she was quickly able to put on a façade of recovery and stand erect. Her eyes were a perfect mirror of her interrogator's: piercing and determined beyond reasonable means.

"Contrary to popular belief, I do not hold all the answers, Rukia-san."

"You're still shaking." Haru's eyes fell on her left hand, where on her wrist, the silver cross swayed forlornly. "This happened last time we spoke together. Are you ill?"

"Iie… it is normal."

"Then perhaps you are like Ukitake-taichou… you have an illness that cannot be cured."

"Not at all, unless you count bearing the weight of a thousand stigmatized generations whose fortunes changed such that their successors rose to noble status. What a pity, though… it is too late for the greatness they sought. The hour has passed… out, out, brief candle." She spoke the words distantly, dismally, and once she had finished, Rukia watched in amazement as Haru shoved herself away from the wall, staggered slightly, and began pacing down the hall. "Forgive me if I am not in the greatest mood, Rukia-san."

"You are…" She bit off the rest of her sentence, at least until Haru turned around, her violet eyes imploring the shinigami to finish. "You are… at odds with your family." A grim smile crossed her face, a positive answer to the statement Rukia presented. "Nande?"

"I'm not really sure when it started," Haru confessed. "It may have been when they cast the blame of my father's death on my shoulders, or when ojii-sama recanted the correctness of my exile and left me that damned riddle of a haiku. Perhaps it began the very hour of my birth, or perhaps even before that since my family disproved of my mother so ardently. Whenever it was, I came to see them as a source of great misery in my life, not in light of any action they took against me but in light of the way they perceived my misfortunes." To Rukia's surprise, the girl turned fully to her, eyes emblazoned with some sort of inner power.

_Where… where did this power come from? _ When Haru spoke again, Rukia could not help but listen.

"If you wish to know one thing about me, Rukia-san, then you should know my education. At birth, I knew nothing. At age five, I learned to shoulder the burden of blame that was cast upon me. At seven, that weight doubled, but this time, I made the decision to carry it. That year, I released my zanpakutoh for the first time, at the very hour that blame fell upon me. In two years, I could use low-level kidou. At ten, I successfully completed my first hollow hunt alone. At age thirteen, I learned independence and self-sufficiency, all the while pouring every ounce of myself into learning more about my powers as a shinigami and a student. Tea and books were always the focal point in my life, and so they continued to be until age fifteen, when I learned first-hand the burden of this name through death. Through Shimori-san, I learned to see past the lines. It was his final lesson, and I was honored to receive it.

"Not long ago, I was taught acceptance by Byakuya-sama. Soon after, I was called upon to take the exam… the captain's exam. The number is irrelevant; by all rights, I should be a captain, and yet I took a seat of lower power than what I was capable of attaining. It is because I trust him so much. I know it is difficult to trust someone who is so secretive, but please take my words as genuine when I say I will do nothing that is not required of me, Rukia-san… onegai." Her plea was accompanied by a bow that left Rukia speechless. The violet eyes flashed open again, and she turned to walk down the hall. "I hope one day to train Seireitei in the art of accepting me as well, an art that Byakuya-sama mastered before he was even aware of my status as the nineteenth heir. But these things take time."

"Nineteen…" Rukia muttered. "What significance does the number bear? I feel as though I should remember this from somewhere…" The smile on Haru's face was dark though her eyes still glimmered brightly.

"Why don't you tell her, Byakuya-sama?" As if she was not surprised enough, her brother peered around the corner, his gray eyes pensive, the touch of blue consumed by the power of Haru's speech. She hadn't even detected his reiatsu, and yet the girl who gazed so gently upon him had sensed it. "I swear, I will teach you patience if nothing else before I leave this house. You should be asleep by now." A different sort of smile flitted across Haru's face as he peered at her in a manner that was so unlike him that his own sister could see the emotions drifting through them. She had expected him to get angry at Haru's words, at least a little, but he wasn't angry in the least. Instead, he looked sheepish, something like a lost child, standing there in his charcoal grey sleeping kimono, his hair unrestrained. "Were you lonely?"

His feet fell soundlessly on the floor. When he reached Haru, he extended a hand, taking a lock of her damp hair between two thin fingers and working it through them. "I was impatient."

"That is not unusual for you," she sighed. "Still, I would think a man of your propriety would know it is impolite to eavesdrop."

"I was not eavesdropping. I merely chanced upon your conversation."

"Is that what you call it? For some reason, every time you put your propriety at stake, you justify it with word play…" To emphasize her amusement, she shrugged helplessly and sighed once she had finished speaking, happy to see the slightest traces of a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Forgive me, Rukia-san… can the remainder of this conversation wait until tomorrow? I am required by duty to rise before the sun." She turned back to find Rukia throwing them a curious look, one unlike any she had ever seen before. Before the startled Kuchiki gave an answer, her brother literally began dragging Haru off by the arm. "Byakuya-sama… what… what are you doing?" When he failed to justify himself, she threw a helplessly apologetic look at Rukia, who, despite the flurry of emotions drifting through her veins like snow through the night air, managed an awkward smile of farewell just as they rounded the corner.

It was natural for Haru's footsteps to fall in time with his despite her desire for answers. She held his arm as they traversed the empty halls, lit just well enough for her to make out the midnight tint in his eyes. "Explain yourself."

"What would you like me to explain, Byakuya-sama?"

"This matter with Ichigo." Haru gave a sudden lurch that surprised him, so full of strength that he nearly released her, but his fingers, thin and pale as they were, held fast to her. She had thrown her entire weight into escaping, causing Byakuya to lose his footing briefly before regaining it. For a moment, he caught a glimpse of her eyes amidst the loose ends of her hair hovering in the air. Then, she turned as if to bolt, forgetting that her arm was still his willing prisoner. "Haru-kun…"

"Ask me anything, name what you desire and it will be yours. Anything but that."

"Haru-kun…"

"I cannot speak of it. I have sworn. Onegai…" Her words were given to the silence behind them. While Byakuya looked on, startled at her trepidation, he made an attempt to analyze her sudden dislike of him… not that he minded. Perhaps it was not dislike at all but a remnant of emotion from an old life… infatuation… he stopped his thoughts before they went further, certain that if they continued, he would only be tempted to murder Ichigo in his sleep. Instead, he pushed the door to his chambers opened, pulling her gently inside after him so she wound up a captive to his embrace.

"You are shivering," he noted. "And your reiatsu is unusually wild tonight… did something happen?" Haru said nothing but merely clung to the charcoal gray folds. She couldn't tell him that, at the very moment he asked about the orange-haired visitor, Suzaku spoke the cautionary words she most loathed to hear, that the time of ascension drew near. Shuddering as they echoed in her mind, Haru threw her wild eyes to the corner while the cross on her back burned with untold agony. Byakuya was sympathetic; he felt the weakness in her limbs, and when he lifted her gently off the floor, he noted how light she felt. After shutting the door with his foot, a feat that required great skill considering he bore the weight of two shinigami, he gently placed her atop his futon, resting his arms on either side of her shoulders as he knelt over her.

"Being a shinigami… is a dangerous job, isn't it?"

"Is that what you are worried about?" Nodding slightly, she swallowed the bitter lump in her throat and peered at her host, noting the concern etched into his face. "If you ask it of me, I will protect you."

"Iie… that is unnecessary!" Haru responded hastily, and in such an ardent tone that it served to disturb him more than he initially was. "I could never ask that of you, and besides, there are things you cannot protect me from. I am a fated child… fated to rise above the sun or plummet spectacularly into shadow. Should you play a hand in the matter, you risk falling with me." Above her, Byakuya stirred, shifting his weight to one hand while the other scurried along her cheek. "Don't tempt me to knock some sense into you. I will not watch you throw it all away."

"For you, it is but a small price."

"Byakuya-sama, you speak lunacy! Do you even know what you're saying?"

"Do I honestly seem that drunk?" he inquired, his thumb following the gentle curve of her bottom lip. "I swear I only had tea at dinner." Haru looked up at him again, imploring, hesitant, eager, but all of that was nearly overshadowed by the expression she had on her face. It was the same one she wore when she was truly enveloped in her usual secretarial duties. "Such a serious look does not suit you."

"Do I look serious?"

"Tell me," he said as he leaned closer, "what are you thinking about?" Silently, Haru cursed her weakness. When Byakuya spoke words in _that _tone, every thought fled from her mind and her entire focus fell to him. The situation didn't matter, the time didn't matter, nor the moon and the stars. Nothing mattered, nothing except him. He captured her lips briefly before drawing away, reclining on his side and peering at her with augmented concern. A sigh slipped through them languidly, reminding her of how inviting they appeared, but it was more important to keep her mind clear. What was it Suzaku had told her just a few moments ago? Why did the fear seem so distant now, whereas moments before, it overpowered her faculty of reason? The questions ceased as his breath struck her ear. In a quiet voice, he murmured into her ear, "Are you truly here beside me?"

"Of course," she responded, turning her gaze towards him. "Why would you doubt it?" Beneath the sheets, his fingers laced through hers.

"You are rising so fast, Haru-kun, that I fear I may lose you." His doubts drew her onto her own side, whereupon she looked with certainty upon him. Byakuya still held fast to her hand. "I am uncertain of what is happening to you, what this business you claim to have with Ichigo is. All I can do is have faith that when I need to know, I will learn." Haru analyzed his eyes as he spoke, noting every facet of color in them until they fled from her own once his final words faded to silence. "I cannot say what this unspeakably strong feeling is, but…" The pressure on his hand increased, and his sapphire eyes once more found the two amethysts cutting through the darkness.

"This business I have… it is a duty I vowed to fulfill before my death. In death, I shall carry it out, come what may. I cannot tell you more than that. However, I can assure you that you will not lose me." The reassurance was enough to pacify his uncertainties. He murmured a good-night before his eyes fell shut, overwhelmed with the exhaustion Haru expected. She rested her forehead against his chest while words chased themselves around her head, promises of the past and of the difficult day that was approaching.

* * *

Hooray, you survived the terribly long chapter of doom! And now, since I pretty much covered almost everything in the A/N, you get to receive your complimentary Japanese lesson! It is the fortune cookie to this particular Chinese take-out meal, if I may use such a metaphor. XP

Souka: I see

Hai: Yes

Nandesuka: What is it

Ano: Japanese equivalent of um

Arigato-gozaimasu: Formal thanks (apparently, I've been spelling it wrong). DX

Betsuni: Nothing

Arigato: Regular thanks

Demo: But

Iie: No

Nani: What

Onegai: Please

Shihakusho: The technical name for a shinigami uniform. Yay, Bleach manga!

Matte: Wait

Nande: Why

Pretty sure I got them all. And there's a lot of Japanese in this chapter to make up for the lack in some previous chapter. At any rate, this concludes my closing note. Thanks a lot for reading/continuing to read, and I hope you enjoyed it!


	4. Chapter 4: Hollow

A/N: Greetings, fans! (Or what is left of you). A brief note to let you know that I am somehow surviving my Brit Lit final… with an A. Heh… that won't last long, knowing how my professor is… but in other news, I have been UBER-busy to the extreme end of busyness. Tutoring and doing some grunt work for the boss… oh, and editing my arse off, trying to get a short story published (edit first, attempt second). Yet I made time to post a chapter for my dear, dear fans… thanks as always to readers, sorry I haven't been replying to reviews… I need to start doing that again. My apologies to all I haven't replied to. Oh, and there has been some concern (via PM) that I am not updating often. Life has kept me busy. I started reading _Paradise Lost _for senior research, my friend is having troubles with her ex, etc. etc. and so on… but you needn't be concerned about me finishing. Because it will get done. Even if it takes a while.

So, here's one action-packed chapter of doom! Sorry fluff-fans… you'll have to wait until the next installment. X3 Please try to enjoy it anyway!

* * *

_Chapter 4: Hollow_

Haru excused herself from the office at noon that day, and though Renji raised hell for his captain's allowance, Byakuya made no objections to her departure. In the morning, she had doubled her usual efforts, and so the paperwork was at a level where he could manage it by himself. "Why the hell does she get to go off in the middle of the damn day while I'm stuck doing this shit?"

"Renji…" But he ignored his captain and continued protesting to an indifferent Haru.

"And what the hell's so damn important that you can't just wait until later to take care of it? I've gotta sit on my ass and wrack my brain over this stupid paperwork…"

"Renji," Byakuya said for the second time, but just like the first time, he was ignored.

"And you get to go traipsing about wherever the hell you please just because you're on his good side while I'm stuck here. I'll be as pale as he is by the end of this fall 'cause I don't ever get to see anything but night nowadays.

"Renji," Byakuya repeated once the redhead's sentence ended.

"Hai, hai…" he retorted, trudging back to his office as he continued uttering expletives under his breath.

"I was merely going to point out that, should Haru-kun desire a companion on her errand, she may be willing to allow you to accompany her. However, since you seem to have more interest in your paperwork…" He didn't even ask Haru if she minded, nor did he wait for her to give explicit permission. He bolted in the direction of the exit without another word of complaint. Haru smiled at his antics, casting her gaze back to Byakuya.

"Are you certain you will be alright by yourself?"

"You will be late for your appointment." Even his sternness made her smile. She bowed her thanks before whirling around, leaving the captain alone in his office while she and Renji paced side-by-side beneath the sun. It only occurred to him after they left headquarters behind to be suspicious of Byakuya's charity. "Do not get overly excited," she responded. "I must be back in an hour."

"It's better'n nothing," he said with a shrug, locking his hands behind his head. "And anyway, just where're you going?"

"Kuchiki-taichou interrupted a conversation between Rukia-san and myself last night. We resolved to finish it today." She stepped along as if she possessed direction, and Renji could only follow in her confident shadow.

"I don't see why I have to come along, then."

"And here, I was under the impression that you hated paperwork… the only reason I brought you along is for your own benefit." A grin spread across Renji's face, for he detected the very thing Haru sought to hide, the faint yet obvious tremor in her voice.

"Looks to me like you're more'n a mite afraid of Rukia."

"It is comments like those that make me want to crack your damn skull open."

"Have at it," Renji challenged her, but instead of taking him up on it, she simply threw her gaze to her solitary side. The somber mood was quite sudden and unexpected of her, as was the hardening of her expression to a point that bordered unreadable. Still, the fear was there, biding its time and feeding on Haru's uncertainty until it could lash out at the world again. When her steps drew to a sudden halt, Renji paused to glance at her. There it was again, that petrified look of certainty accompanied by some physical discomfort, which caused her to wrap one arm around her stomach and lean against a wall. "Oy, are you sure you should be doing this?"

"I'm fine," she managed through her teeth.

"You shouldn't push yourself. Remember what happened last time…"

"I said I'm fine." To prove her point, Haru continued, but determination was not enough. She swayed and dropped to one knee, putting a hand on her face as her eyes fell shut. Instinctively, she dug into her haori, produced a pair of glasses that looked exactly like her old ones, and placed them on her face after scrutinizing the dirt through their lenses.

"Ain't those your glasses?"

"Ishi-nii brought me a spare pair in the event that my others were lost or broken. Unfortunately, due to Kuchiki-taichou's troublesome tenacity, I can only wear them when he is not around. I trust you will not tell him, Renji."

"'Course I won't."

"Arigato," she murmured, pressing her back against the wall. "It will only be a moment. Please forgive my delay."

"It's fine. If we get back late, I'll just blame it on you."

"Domo," Haru retorted, passing him a sarcastic glare through her glasses. Already, the impatience was etched in every feature of his expression. "Perhaps you should bring her to me, since she is likely in a better condition than I am. Can you do that for me, Renji?"

"Sure thing. Where's she at?"

"Three blocks away, take a left-hand turn. She should be on the second corner you come to at the right."

"You sure you'll be alright, by yourself?"

"Hai." That was all the more reassurance he needed. Without another word, he shot off in the direction she dictated, leaving Haru to fend for herself in the deserted streets. All the other shinigami were probably eating lunch or having tea, which would have been nice but for her obligations. _I hope she isn't angry like she was last night… that was nothing short of humiliating… _ A heavy sigh escaped her; finally, the pain in her back was beginning to subside, but that feeling of dread that more pain was to come, that remained. She drew her knees up to her chin and glanced up, along the edge of the white building at her back to the azure sky overhead. Just as she was beginning to enjoy herself, her zanpakutoh spoke silently to her.

_Haru-sama… you feel it, do you not? _She didn't answer immediately, nor did Suzaku rush her. After taking a moment to feel the air with her reiatsu, she found the threat lingering closer than she thought, and what's more, she had to face it sooner than she originally intended. _That threat is familiar, not foreign; death in life; darkness in salvation…_

_Suzaku… _She withdrew to the recesses of her mind, where, once in the void, the avatar form of her zanpakutoh appeared before her.

"The fated hour is upon us. We cannot turn away."

"I know," she said. "It's just that…"

"I sense your fear, Haru-sama… why are you afraid? Death, or is it…"

"I am more than confident in my abilities to fight him. The trouble will be keeping him alive."

"That should be your last priority. Your top one is survival, the next is the survival of any caught in the crossfire, and then the preservation of your surroundings." Haru swore under her breath; interference was something she hadn't considered before. "Tell me, do you have faith in me as your weapon? Do the flames of your reliance not burn more so for me than for any you know? Was I not the beacon that guided you, with the help of your sensei and your brother, through the darkest eras of your life? Do I not continue guiding you now in life after life?"

"Of course," she stated.

"Then…" But Suzaku's sentence remained unfinished. A particularly powerful reiatsu flooded the air, drawing Haru from her thoughts and into action. After yanking the still sheathed zanpakutoh out of her belt, she raced in the direction Renji had traveled in moments before. It would not take her long to find them, hopefully before that beast destroyed them.

* * *

"I don't understand this," Rukia said irately. "If she's so sick, why is she still trying to work?"

"You could ask the same question of Ukitake-taichou, couldn't you?" She conceded the point with her silence. "Besides, I don't really think Haru is sick at all. I think it's… some kind of a curse or something."

"Curses only exist in stories and fairytales, Renji. She's either sick or injured, and I'm relatively certain she isn't injured."

"Maybe you should ask Kuchiki-taichou about it." He felt a look of scorn on him, as if his words were sacrilege. "Nani? I'm just sayin' he's more familiar with Haru than any of us. If he don't know something, it's pretty likely no one knows."

"I wouldn't bother nii-sama with such a trivial question."

"Then ask Ishida or Urahara-san. It's not like they'll kill you for bein' suspicious."

"Whoever said I was suspicious?" Rukia demanded.

"Well, you've gotta be a little bit. Otherwise, you wouldn't be asking so many questions." Again, Rukia conceded the point with her silence. There was no denying Renji knew her all too well. They were taking their time walking back to Haru since she was immobilized at the moment, and they both relished the solitude of the street. Other than each other's company, no one walked the paved lines. A shift in reiatsu alerted them both to a presence in the area, familiar yet threatening. When the pair rounded the corner, they were surprised to find a familiar face. He said nothing, nor did he look at them. He simply kept his head bowed as he staggered beneath some unseen weight, one hand pressed against his head. "Looks like whatever it is is goin' around," Renji retorted.

"Ichigo!" Rukia called. "What's going on? Did you sense a hollow or something? Hey… say something, will you?" The orange-haired boy said nothing but swayed again, this time more violently, and some brand of dark reason crept over him, arresting all of his faculties. When he looked up at them, it was Ichigo they saw, but he was hiding, gazing at them with two perfectly hollow eyes behind a partly formed mask. He hesitated for a moment, eyeing the startled Renji and the petrified Rukia before racing forward, one clawed hand extended, to choke the life out of one or both of them. Defensively, Renji took the front and laid one hand on his sword, but that was as far as he got. A shadow passed before them both, and with one decisive swing, he was knocked off course. Before she could address them, he shot towards her, ramming her against the wall so hard that her glasses fell to her feet, which hovered helplessly above the ground.

Her mind was numbed by the impact. The flesh of her back collided with stone, and the force behind it… she could never have expected such strength from him. What brought her back to reality was not Renji's beckon. The sensation of her skin being pierced by his claw-like fingernails summoned a singular determination that drew her left foot into action against his stomach. Fortunately, it was a blow hard enough to convince him to release her, whereupon she fell to her knees, holding her bleeding neck and gasping for breath. She wasn't given long to compose herself. Though standing was no easy task, she managed it, speaking as she rose.

"Go."

"Nani?"

"Get the hell out of here." Haru paused to unsheathe her sword, which countered Zangetsu with some difficulty. "There is no point in staying. You will only interfere."

"What the hell's going on? Your thirst for glory is gonna get you killed!"

"It is not glory but duty that draws me to this task… duty, and fate!" She shoved the oversized blade aside, flashing just beyond the scope of the swing, casting one more pleading look at Renji. "Now is not the time for questions. If you have any respect for me whatsoever, you will do as I say and ask me questions if I survive. And for heaven's sake, don't tell Byakuya. He would only make this a more difficult matter." Rukia still hadn't said anything, paralyzed by the appearance of her cohort at the moment. He gave a fierce snarl as he look at her again, contemplating whether he should kill her first or wait until he finished with Haru. They waited for her to add the respectable suffix to the Kuchiki heir's name, but the correction never came. The hollow in Ichigo raised the sword and prepared to unleash an attack, but Haru stood between them. One particularly powerful Getsuga flew at them before any had a chance to react. A golden mist of reiatsu sprang up around them, and when it cleared, they found themselves in tact, the attack nullified. "Go!"

This time, they obeyed Haru's command. Renji seized Rukia from behind, and the two of them disappeared from sight to her relief. Relaxing a bit, Haru lowered her sword, her eyes piercing her enemy. "Ichigo…"

"Ichigo ain't my name," replied a sinister voice.

"No, it is, as you are part of him." He responded with another strike, which Haru blocked with her own sword.

"I'm tellin' you, I ain't Ichigo, girl." He looked entirely startled when the reiatsu pushing on his sword blazed visibly with enough force to ram him backwards. He kept his hollow eyes locked on her own, two violet orbs alight with unbelievable tenacity. Haru dropped her fighting stance, keeping her sword level with her waist, as she raised her empty hand to push the glasses up her nose only to find they were no longer there, that they had abandoned her. With a wary smile, she kept her hand raised, letting the light play upon her heirloom.

"What reason to do we have to fight? Our objective is the same, is it not? Our enemy…" But the beast in Ichigo scoffed and began to spin Zangetsu. Haru regarded it with caution. Try as she might to find some vulnerability, some window to strike, but there was none. Not yet, for it was the hour of deliberation's reign.

"I ain't got enemies except Ichigo. I only need him for his body."

"So, you are enemies with yourself?" His response was another scoff, cold and unfeeling, accompanied by a manic grin that sent a chill through her entire body.

"I said it once, girl, and I'll say it again. I ain't Ichigo."

"Girl?" Haru echoed. Her entire demeanor changed in an instant. The color nearly faded from her eyes, leaving them as silvery as two full moons obscured by clouds of fury and irritation.

"Remember this name and carry it with you always," she murmured, cutting through the air with her arm. The cross jangled in the silence that followed before falling to a gentle sway and then at last to stillness. "Roku bantai sanseki, Yamashita Haru." In an instant, she disappeared, reappearing by Ichigo and ramming her blade against his. The next attack was harder than the first, causing his sandals to scrape across the ground. At some point, her foot caught his ankle, skewing his balance, causing him to drop. Haru's other foot found his stomach and rammed against it, throwing him against the wall with a force that fully repaid that he had used against her. For a moment, her weight was on her hands, but by the time he recovered, Haru was back on her feet, waiting for his next blow. She matched it in force, giving the slightest waver due to the effort she had just put forth. "Here is another thing for you to remember, Kurosaki Ichigo… never wound a quincy's pride by forgetting their name. Otherwise, that wound will become physically inflicted upon you."

"Sounds like you think you can cut me with that little sword."

"I don't think. I know." To prove her point, Haru threw her entire strength into pushing Zangetsu away. Then, to his surprise, she withdrew, sweeping the air with the blade as she uttered the summoning words for her shikai. "Hai karano joushou, Suzaku." In an act of desperation, he sent another Getsuga her way, and in the same calm voice, Haru responded to it. "Saisho no keitai: mizuhi." Haru severed the black reiatsu with one cut, sending two equal parts tumbling towards the buildings behind her. Before they reached it, however, they were both consumed by a silvery flame and reduced to mere ashes. "You are strong this way, Ichigo… much stronger than I thought you would be, but weakness often lies in strength. That is your only expression of power, is it not? To swing that sword around and use a single attack? You can never hope to match Suzaku, then."

Haru charged him again, flashing out of sight as Zangetsu severed the skin on her right shoulder. She reappeared behind him, thrusting the blade at his shoulder only to have it blocked by the same ebony blade. Withdrawing, she utilized another opening, again meeting not flesh but his blade. Her third blow was preceded by the opposing Zanpakutoh, which tore the empty air she abandoned when she saw her efforts were futile. _I could use kagehi and end it now, but…_

_Haru-sama, you must forget for a moment that he is Ichigo._

_But that isn't logical!_

_Life seldom is, _Suzaku consoled her. She paused and cast her doleful eyes to the sun she was supposed to surpass, momentarily overcome.

_Yet how can I with his shadow looming so darkly?_ She wavered for a moment on the cusp of indecision. Then, resolutely, her sword changed hands and her head bowed beneath the weight of what she was about to do. "Ichigo… please forgive me." Outraged at the sound of the name, the hollow charged her, but Zangetsu found only empty air where he expected a meal of impure blood. Something sounded behind him, a single footstep. By the time he turned to it, there was already blood seeping from the numerous cuts in his flesh. "Dai ni keitai: kagehi." With that command, an electric blue flame sprang up around him, covering the sword and his wounds. Haru watched in silence for a moment, fighting her urge to break the form, but before she could, Ichigo did so himself. With one surge of reiatsu, he scattered the blue flames and turned to face her irately. Haru made an observation as she stood there in surprise, something that she had on some subconscious level already been aware of: the mask was growing. Already, it covered a little more than half of his face. "Ichigo… nande?"

Haru barely had time to comprehend the sudden absence of distance between them. The sword came down on her again, this time, sinking deeply into her shoulder, deep enough to elicit an inward cry of agony. The sensation of blood rushing down her arm kept her from crying out, as did her sudden bout of dizziness. "Quit callin' me Ichigo. He's dead."

"Iie," Haru responded. "He isn't dead. I can still feel him." Wavering on her feet, Haru vaguely became aware of just how much blood she was losing, how close she was to unconsciousness. One sharp breath escaped her as she grabbed the blade from underneath and removed its fang from her flesh, slicing her palm in the process. After that, she could do little more than breathe and try to get her bearings. Another shift in reiatsu obliterated her efforts, and her attention fell to the way Ichigo held his sword, extended before him, the white wrappings around the handle curling about his arm. "Ichigo," she murmured, raising her left hand and Suzaku to her wounded shoulder. Fear loomed in her veins and was pouring quickly out. Desperately, Haru tried to restrain her tears, but to no avail. As she raised her head and steadied herself, they cut through the sweat on her cheeks. "Please don't do it, Ichigo!"

"I'm gonna say it again, girl… I ain't Ichigo." Belief sank deeply into her mind as he uttered the one word she most feared to hear. "Bankai." The outpour of reiatsu was unbelievable and kicked up dust of unprecedented proportions. Haru's hand abandoned her shoulder in favor of shielding her eyes, but even then, she was blind to what fate had in store for her. Then again, on some level, she already knew. She regained her composure when the smoke cleared, revealing a mask that was now three-quarters of its full size, leaving only half of his bottom jaw unconcealed. Her shoulders straightened impulsively as she eyed the sword, no larger than her own, yet sensed within it an even greater power than that which he had initially began with. There was silence, then, and within it a steady pounding. She heard it quite clearly now, the rhythmic drum within her chest…

It was fate knocking. The true fight was about to begin.

* * *

"Is that all?" Byakuya responded in his usual deadpan. Renji stood behind Rukia, swallowing the lump in his throat. Somehow, he should have guessed his captain wouldn't buy their fabrication. It lacked creativity and detail altogether. "You say Haru-kun is off on… business."

"Hai, nii-sama."

"What kind of business?"

"Unfortunately, she didn't specify the exact nature of her business before she ran off."

"Souka," he murmured, half rising from his chair.

"M… matte kudasai," Rukia stammered. "If I recall correctly, she also said something about you not worrying, though I can't imagine why. She talked of the task as if it was nothing more than routine, so I'm certain…" One glare from Byakuya silenced her as he finished rising, set the brush aside, and paced to the window. A faint trace of reiatsu passed through the air, distant enough not to cause concern yet strong enough to nullify any possible comfort they could take in their lack of proximity.

"Did you feel that just now?"

"Ii… iie," they responded in unison. Byakuya accepted the answer in silence. It was only his imagination playing tricks on him. No, the reiatsu he felt couldn't have been Ichigo, no more than the subtle variations accompanying it could have been Haru's zanpakutoh in its released form. His eyes fell shut for a moment, allowing him to concentrate on whatever it was. There was no mistaking it, but he decided to feign oblivion for a little while longer. Besides, Rukia still had not received her answer from Haru, and in his very nature of being impatient, he felt it his duty to inform her.

"Clearly, you do not know Haru-kun's nature if you so quickly submit full confidence to her words."

"I beg your pardon?" Rukia inquired.

"She can be deceptive when the situation calls for it."

"Surely, this is some kind of joke," Renji put forth. "I mean, taichou… she's just about the most innocent girl I've ever met, and I've met a lot of girls."

"I am sure you have," Byakuya said to the window, folding his arms behind his back. "Still, she has given me so many secrets and kept from me so many more. It is easy for her to justify it, and easy for me to accept it. That is simply how things are between us, I suppose."

"So, there is somethin' going on between you two?"

"Renji!" she shouted, whirling to him. "Show some respect!"

"I'm giving him all the respect he deserves!"

"Then why are you prying?"

"I'm not prying!"

"Then what was that just now?" It wasn't difficult to fake an argument with Renji since he jumped at almost any chance to argue. The problem was his ignorance of its purpose, to keep Byakuya distracted long enough for Haru to finish her business with Ichigo. So far, the tactic seemed to be working, for the redhead folded his arms and turned his head away.

"If it's taken you that long to figure it out, you're pretty dense, Rukia."

"Nani?" She turned her gaze slowly to Byakuya, who peered at them with a mixture of irritation and amusement. "There… really is something going on between you two?"

"Now who's pryin'?" Renji demanded. "Though I'm of the opinion that 'something' is putting it lightly…"

"Enough," Byakuya ordered, and as always, his word was absolute. Finally, he was speaking to them rather than to the window, but he soon turned towards it again. The game turned dangerous when they began asking about his personal life, not that it was any of their business. "You will explain the situation to Rukia, Renji. I feel compelled to find her before she causes any serious damage."

"But taichou, you know her better than I do, so if anyone should explain it, it's you."

"Are you questioning your captain, Renji? Do not forget your place."

"H… hai…" he said through his teeth, clenching his fist. Byakuya's brow arched triumphantly as he faced them again.

"So, she is fighting Ichigo." The two of them lost color immediately. Renji wanted to crawl behind his wall of paperwork. At least then, he could nurse his failure in privacy. "Rukia, you will return to the thirteenth division immediately."

"Hai," she responded begrudgingly.

"What about me, taichou?"

"I trust you will be hard at work when I return." He swore perpetually under his breath once the feeling of complete and utter uselessness set in. The end of his captain's haori waved a threat to him as Byakuya passed, looking unusually stern as he paced towards the door. "One more thing, Renji… in the future, I expect you to be honest. Lying will only disgrace the sixth division."

"Hai, taichou," he returned, clenching his fist as the full weight of fury fell on him.

"Rukia, consider my words. Your dishonesty threatens to bring shame to the Kuchiki clan. I will not tolerate it." She said nothing, but the air suggested her comprehension of his words. With one hand, he reached towards the door to push it open, surprised to see it fly open so quickly. The sound of it slamming caused both Rukia and Renji to jolt, but Byakuya, as usual, was visibly unfazed. He stared at the figure in the doorway, trying to goad him into moving with his gaze, but the young man insisted on exercising his free will. "Are you here to threaten me again, quincy?"

"Not at all. I am here to offer you some advice."

"I have no use for your advice. Move."

"Please hear me out. The words I came to deliver are not on my behalf." Byakuya was so resolute in his intent that he barely noticed his hand drop to his sword. If he did happen to kill Ishida, it would undoubtedly create problems, but his mind was so clouded, his reason so far gone, that he failed to consider the consequences and prepared to draw. "I'm just as much in the dark as you are about this whole thing. I don't understand anything about it. Her motives for fighting are, and probably always will be, a mystery to me. However, I do know this much: if anyone interferes, she will likely never forgive them entirely. That includes you, Byakuya-san; her anger is an equalizer of sorts."

"They will destroy seireitei if I allow this to continue."

"True, there will undoubtedly be property damage, but by interfering, you stand to lose much more than a miniscule piece of your honor." Trusting that Byakuya would not cross the threshold, Ishida moved into the office, pacing passively to the window. "We quincy place a lot of value in pride, Haru-sama included. While the source of her power, be it quincy or shinigami, is still a subject of debate, she still retains that much of her father and her clan. By stepping in, you would irrevocably wound it. You may even stand to lose your own life."

"Ishida," Rukia said, half threatening, half curious at this new revelation. "Show some respect as a guest in the Kuchiki house."

"Guest though I may be, I am only here for Haru-sama. Since she will not let me protect her body, then I have made it my duty to protect her pride. Do we have some sort of understanding, Byakuya-san?"

"Ishida, is Haru… is she…" The mere thought seemed unspeakable to her, but the words reminded Byakuya of his initial intent. With firm resolution, he turned to them, pushing the door shut as he did so.

"Haru-kun is a noble from a quincy family. She is the nineteenth heir to the holdings of the Yamashita clan."

"Yamashita?" Rukia echoed, a look of disbelief overwhelming her curiosity. She tried several times to wrap her mind around the entire situation: Haru's heritage and her involvement with Byakuya, and while she managed to place both pieces in her mind, they could not be held as reality at the same time. The matter of heritage was murky oil, whereas the fluid concept of their potential relationship remained clear. When the two came together, she grappled with the force that kept them apart to no avail; they would not mix. Another surge of reiatsu drew her from her thoughts, so strong that even Byakuya gave a slight wince when he considered the events unfolding. "I don't understand, nii-sama. How can you… how can you think so highly of her, knowing what she is?"

"Don't complain," Renji retorted, locking his hands behind his head. "It's just the way things are."

"What the hell… you seriously knew about it?"

"It wasn't really that hard to figure out." Rukia turned to the quincy, who still stood by the window with his eyes drifting among the clouds.

"Ishida, how can you accept this?"

"Would you like an honest answer?" It was a question that didn't need asking. He didn't wait for her to speak again as he turned from the window, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I'm still struggling to. I struggle everyday, just as I'm struggling now against my concerns. Still… I am bound by Haru-sama's word, because in the toughest times, she was always there, not as a shinigami, not as a quincy, not even as a noble, but simply as Haru-sama. So, if she finds happiness in Byakuya-san, I am not obligated to prevent her from doing so."

"You speak the words so easily. She could die out there."

"I would be more concerned about Kurosaki if I were you." Rukia conceded the point with her silence, finding she had no viable piece of evidence to argue on his behalf.

"Ever since he got his powers back, I've felt some kind of shadow in his reiatsu. I gotta wonder what it all means," Renji stated. "You think he's holding out on us, Ishida?"

"It isn't my concern," he said, hastily turning to the window again.

"What makes you so sure she can beat him, then, if Kuchiki-taichou lost to him?" Renji winced at the slight flare of the Kuchiki's reiatsu, which indicated more than anything his perpetual irritation with his defeat at Ichigo's hand. Once that anger was pacified by a moment of silence, Byakuya's mind began to wander. At first, the answer was not clear, but Haru was a matter that always required some level of thought. "I'd like to think she can, but I've got no reason to."

"Bankai." Byakuya let the word settle over them for a moment, inwardly smiling at the startled look on Rukia's face. Renji had a delayed reaction. The silence didn't last long once he processed the meaning behind his utterance of the word.

"Eh?" he shouted. "You can't tell me she has bankai! It's impossible!" The regal captain made a sound of understanding, crossed the room, and seated himself behind the paperwork. He feigned interest in a form for a moment, which was made difficult by all the gazes locked on him.

"It was almost a year ago," Ishida said, more to the sky than to the occupants of Byakuya's office. "I noticed something peculiar about Haru-sama's reiatsu. I've known it since she and I were young. Despite its gradual change overtime, when I saw her that day, it was radically different than the pattern I was familiar with. The peaks were sharper, more quincy-like in nature… I couldn't explain it back then, but I understand it now. Ever since she alluded to bankai two months ago, I've had this suspicion that it was the cause of this inexplicable shift. Still, there is no way to be certain."

"I do not doubt her word. She was rather explicit in conveying her attainment of it."

"Strange that she is so straight-forward with you," Ishida noted. "She prefers subtlety and riddles to blatant answers."

"It was her zanpakutoh that drove her to it. Otherwise, the revelation would have only come in time." Byakuya paused to make a quickly notation in the form's margin before endorsing it. "When combined with her examination, it makes her eligible to become a captain." Ishida's shock over the words, over they way they were delivered, remained unexpressed. Instead, he simply turned to the room, seeing the grim look in Renji's eyes and the gravity in Byakuya's.

"Renji."

"Sir?"

"Why is it that you suppose she stays?"

"Taichou…" His voice trailed off, and a difficult look came into his eyes, for he recognized the guilty undertones in his captain's expression. The last thing he wanted to do was vocalize his vulnerabilities to others who were present.

"If she doesn't come back…"

"Of course she'll come back!"

"Yet if she doesn't, I will have to shoulder the weight of having held her back."

"Don't flatter yourself," Ishida retorted. "It is not for you that Haru-sama leaves seats of power untouched."

"And I suppose you've got the answers?" Renji demanded.

"The matter is best told by her." That was all he said, yet in his words lingered the sentiment racing through four sets of veins, even Rukia, whose mind was in angst over its repeated failure of reconciling the concepts of Haru. It was hope, fleeting and fragile, that the day would pass untouched by death, that their faith in her abilities was not in any way unwisely placed. Had they known how she was faring, faith would have come with far more difficulty, for despite all her attempts to end the matter peaceably, their battle had already gone too far. The last Getsuga nearly struck her, but at the last moment, she moved aside, whirling again to face her opponent and his barrage of attacks. Suzaku whirled faithfully about her index finger. Seizing the hilt out of mid-air, she countered the small black blade that came against it, losing more ground beneath the weight of his reiatsu. She still didn't feel ready.

"Is that all you've got, girl?" Ichigo's words, sinister as they were, drew no shudder from Haru, who forced his blade aside and into the wall behind her. She aimed a kick at his stomach, but he easily caught her ankle, and, after jerking the sword out of the wall, brought it down on her. By some stroke of luck, Haru managed to block the hit and wrench her foot free of his grasp, turning it towards his ankle, but before she could throw off his balance, she found her own wavering. Forced to withdraw, she used shunpo to escape his sword, wrapping a hand around her bloody shoulder and swaying slightly. "You ain't gonna last much longer."

"You sound certain, Kurosaki Ichigo. Perhaps you have forgotten, or perhaps you never knew… I am so much more like you than you know."

"I keep tellin' ya I ain't Ichigo!" She avoided the next Getsuga with speed alone. Haru cringed inwardly at the sound of stone shattering behind her. Still, she retained her footing, straightened her posture, and rammed every sensation of pain to the far corner of her mind. A pure white glow surrounded her, a myriad of filaments drifting through the air and finding her skin. Slowly, the arm rose, blood dripping from it and striking the ground with a deafening and dire sound. Her eyes had long since disappeared behind their lids, but no trace of discomfort dared touch her expression. When they opened again, they were full of renewed determination, and when the next Getsuga came at her, she raised her sword.

"Omate han." She brought her sword through the air in a graceful arc, which was followed by a shimmering gold flame that seemed ready to race forward to meet him. "Seishinhi!" With that word, its power was released, and the entire area was engulfed in flames. Haru's eyes flew skyward when she sensed Ichigo move. Laughing wildly, he sent a wave of Getsuga raining down on her head. Haru turned her blade upwards to meet them, swatting them away with some difficulty, all but the last one, which struck the ground near her feet and threw her backwards. By some turn of fortune's hand, her wounded shoulder struck the ground first, earning a cry of agony that was abruptly cut off by her full realization of how bad the situation had gotten.

At last, she stopped skidding across the road. Only then did Haru notice how ragged her breaths were, how distant her limbs felt, and how far away the world seemed. It took all her determination to roll onto her side; even with ransotengai in affect, the mere act of moving was becoming more and more of a feat by the minute. Struggling to all fours, Haru reached for Suzaku, closing her bloodied hand around the sword's hilt and ramming the point into the ground just in time to dodge another swing meant to end her life. What followed was an intricate, unreadable barrage that kept Haru in perpetual motion. She had no skill at anticipating his movements, not when all her concentration was put into dodging. All the while, that wild laughter cut through the air and kept her searching for the Ichigo beneath the mask, but with his face nearly hidden, she couldn't see him anymore. _Ichigo… I know you're there, even if I have lost sight of you._

"If you're lookin' for Ichigo, he's dead! There ain't no savin' him now!" Those words brought a stop to everything. Haru moved one hand and caught the sword before it stuck in her neck, squeezing it with enough pressure to sever the skin of her hand. It brought their eyes closer than they had ever been, and to any bystander, Haru would have appeared the fiercer of the two.

"Do not make me repeat myself again," she said in a low voice. "You are… you are… Kurosaki… Ichigo." The hollow tried to pull back, apparently threatened by the authority of her tone, but Haru would not release the sword. "You are the shadow that covers the sun. You are the dark cloud that consumes the moon. You are the man who walks three worlds yet belongs to none of them. I was given the duty… given the duty by my sensei, Urahara Kisuke, on the day I learned of this peculiar state of yours… to protect you from yourself, me… the fallen noble bound to one day surpass the sun or fall into oblivion."

"The hell are you still talkin' for?" demanded the hollow. "You think you can save him? You can barely stand! You're pathetic!"

"Watch your tongue. When I speak, it is your duty to listen." Haru lost her footing for a moment when Ichigo pulled his sword forward, and when a foot collided with her stomach, she began to lose her grip along with her sight. Slowly, the world began to stop spinning, the ground came up to meet her knees, and a sweet taste permeated her mouth as she coughed and gasped for breath. The shadows moved and revealed Tensa Zangetsu lingering overhead, ready to descend. Already, her hand was moving on its own, as if it knew the time had come. She wretched the sheath out of her obi, forcing herself back into focus just in time to avoid most of his swing save a slight scathe on the side of her face. Leaping back again when his sword continued to pursue her, Haru managed to get the sword into its sheath.

"What're you doing?"

"Pay close attention," she murmured, dodging his sword again. Fragments of its guard moved past his eye peripherally as Haru flashed to a safe distance. "I am going to enlighten you." Holding the hilt in her left hand, she raised her right and placed it before the golden square hoop at its very top. By then, the guard had completely broken away, and every part of the sword from the tip of the sheath to the wildly shifting ribbon tied to the metal hoop had turned black. The shifting of her reiatsu stilled momentarily, and the ribbon tied to the hoop began to rise and wind around the air. "Forgive me, Kurosaki Ichigo… I fear I must survive to fulfill my duties."

"For the last damn time, I ain't Ichigo!" He would have race forward had his instincts held him back. The stillness of her reiatsu was unsettling. She seemed to be debating something; it would have been the perfect time to obliterate her, but the way it just stilled… no, it was rippling, now, gently and with great control. The silver ribbon in her hair drifted through the air as its unseen power moved a current of spirit particles around her.

"Let me explain something to you. I am not under any circumstances supposed to sheathe Suzaku in her released state. Would you care to take a guess at why that is, or perhaps you would rather I show you… how brightly my pride burns." Then, there came a shift so great that the buildings themselves shook with fear. A small part of the mask broke off and crumbled away, but it soon came slithering back. Her pupils were glowing now, not with gold light but with the silver of a cloud lined by the moon. When she spoke again, she uttered only one word, for only one word was needed to usher on the chain reaction that had begun with the sheathing of her zanpakutoh in its released state, and she spoke it with such unshakable certainty that, deep inside, the hollow felt the beginnings of fear rise up in him. "Bankai."

Instead of the violent explosion of reiatsu he expected, it came in thin wisps that curled around her weapon and joined the two pieces of ribbon into something more solid. The black of her uniform scattered like tiny ashes, leaving only a pure white behind. Her sash moved with the forces around her, as did her loose hairs and the ribbon keeping the rest of them at bay. When the glow faded, she didn't look much different than she had before, other than the fact that her uniform was now white. That, and she held the most unlikely weapon in her left hand, with a black piece of fabric wound around its center, its two loose ends hanging without hindering her in combat. Suzaku had doubled in length, attained a slightly greater curve without losing any of its sharpness, but most importantly, the golden hoop that had at one point been at the top of the handle had at some point rematerialized as part of the cross around her left wrist. "Tenraihoshi Suzaku. And with that, the real battle begins…"

She wasn't even a white blur when she moved. Just after coming back into sight, she rammed the weapon against his own, forcing his feet back with her unseen reiatsu. Ichigo pulled away but was ensnared once more by its pale edge. How she could wield such a thing almost exactly like a sword was a matter beyond his consideration. Haru drew back and struck again, this time with greater force. Ichigo managed to pull away this time, swinging Tensa Zangetsu and creating a handful of Getsuga. "Useless…" Haru spun the weapon like a spear with little effort, and all five of them were severed in half. Persistent in his endeavors, he shot towards her only to slice through the air. Every subsequent cut missed her by mere centimeters. She was proving to be rather light on her feet despite her condition.

"Stand still, damn it!" Haru obeyed his command, ramming one foot into his stomach and sweeping the edge of her weapon across his mask. He kept his footing, even daring to gasp for breath having lost it with that single strike. "Why're you lookin' at me like that? Stop!"

"Ichigo, please…" The look in her eyes was pleading, almost as if she was about to cry. "I've gone this far for you! Isn't it enough?" She was completely vulnerable for a moment, and it was a moment he didn't fail to utilize. Racing forward, he aimed the point of his sword at her stomach, but his opportunity was already blocked. They exchanged blows for a brief eternity, Haru growing more and more troubled by the moment, until finally, Ichigo's sword found a gap. His aim was her stomach, which he missed by a considerable distance. Nonetheless, he did leave a notable gash in her left hip, which immediately began to bleed and stain the fabric crimson. When added to the blood loss that had already taken place, it was a miracle she could stand. Breathless, Haru, placed one edge of her weapon against the ground and leaned against it, trying to get her bearings. Winding her right hand around her stomach, she touched her side, looking at the red fluid that coated it when she drew it into her line of vision.

"I don't know what kinda sword that is…"

"Sword?" Haru echoed. "You think Tenraihoshi Suzaku is a sword?"

"Ain't that what you shinigami wield?"

"Shinigami?" Haru smiled grimly and cast her eyes to the clear blue heavens. "It seems even you hollow are bound into modes of singular thinking by the lines of society. Tenraihoshi Suzaku is not a sword, and I am not a shinigami."

"The hell are you then?" Haru looked rather displeased with this sudden turn of events. It was highly unusual for the hollow to be demanding anything other than the still unaccepted claim that he was not Kurosaki Ichigo. So, she goaded him in silence, holding her zanpakutoh in her right hand while her eyes did all the fighting for her. "And here, I thought you were one of them women that never shut up. A minute ago, you were pretty talkative." He disappeared from sight, reappearing at her left to lacerate her shoulder again, but her movements were far faster. The edge of her weapon met his long before he swung the sword, and with such certainty that the hollow once again drowned in a sea of uncertainty. She made no move to push him away, nor did she tremble beneath the increased pressure of his blade. Rigid as a stone, Haru threw her gaze to him again, distant because of the blood loss yet burning with an unsettling amount of fortitude.

"What am I?" she echoed, smiling grimly. "I have asked myself that question for years, and still, I have no suitable answer." With a snarl of impatience, the black blade drew back and struck again, this time from a different angle, but Haru blocked it in much the same manner that she had before. Ichigo growled and pushed harder against her weapon, which remained steady even under the augmented force being exerted upon it. "What's the matter?"

"Damn you!" With a simple twist, she disengaged him, whirling the weapon around as if it were nothing more than a spear with a great amount of curvature. The edge that had been near the ground met Ichigo's sword, shoving it away as it descended, and with an agility beyond his capability to predict, Haru shoved his blade's point into the ground, placing her foot against its tip while keeping her weapon against his.

"You know, you can still cut me with that sword. You can strangle me, run me through, take off my head… it doesn't matter, because in spite of that, you cannot shake my pride, Kurosaki Ichigo." The sword under her foot exploded with reiatsu, and Haru retreated, again sweeping through the air with her weapon. Soon enough, the attack came; her bankai took the strike in the midst of its wrapping, with her hands on either side of Ichigo's sword. She pushed him away, dodging his next swing, ducking when it suddenly changed direction. Haru took a strike at his feet, but he leapt over it, not expecting her to throw her weight onto her hands and thrust both feet into his stomach. She pushed off the ground with her hands, turning so she was on her feet, and flashed towards him. The hollow, anticipating her strike, swung in her direction, but Tensa Zangetsu found nothing but air. Instead, she had veered to the right at the last minute, positioning one point of her weapon towards his hip. He turned to meet her, just as she was thrusting it forward.

At the same moment the sword found the flesh of his stomach, he swung downward in an attempt to lodge his blade in her shoulder again, but to no avail. Haru stepped just far enough to the right that it struck pavement instead, barely grazing the skin near her elbow and missing one of the black bands around her arm. In that moment, the battle was decided. Once she deemed herself safe, Haru drove the point of her weapon straight into him with every ounce of force she could muster. A stunned moment of silence passed before he unleashed a horrible screech of pain that nearly made her withdraw, but then, she felt it: the warmth of life racing down her weapon and staining her hands. Haru's left hand fled, but her right hand kept a firm hold of her bankai. Making her ears deaf to all else save the jingle of her cross, she smashed the heel of her left hand into his forehead with a force that pushed him off the end of her blade and shattered the mask. Only when he struck the pavement did Haru dare move her weapon, as if impaling the air where he stood would ascertain her well-being.

For a moment, she stared wide-eyed at the teenager in front of her, sprawled out on his back in a pool of is own blood. Even after she shut her eyes, the image remained behind them, burned into her mind until it was displaced by an equal horror. One look at her hands cast the blame on her, for they were covered in blood, just as they had been the day Shimori fell. The ground below her seemed not to be there, and Haru swayed first to one side, then to the other. Her bearings came racing back as she fought the desire to rid herself of the weapon and all responsibility connected to it, yet that was something her conscience refused to allow. She held fast to her gleaming bankai, Suzaku's truest form. That truth above all else calmed her for the moment.

"What a mess," she murmured, surprised at the stoic quality in her own voice. With little time to consider the consequences of her actions, Haru transferred her bankai to her left hand, using her right to separate the golden square of metal from the remainder of her quincy cross. Once she had, the weapon in her hands cracked and scattered. As her uniform reverted to its original coloring, the two lengthy pieces of ribbon swaying through the air also reverted, and the hoop rematerialized in its proper place, attached to the innocent wooden sword. It soon took up its place at Haru's side as she paced forward, taking a closer look at Ichigo. His chocolate eyes, usually so full of life, were completely blank, but his reiatsu, faint as it was, obstinately held on to its existence.

She fell to her knees faster than she would have liked, partly due to her injuries and their affects on her foothold in reality, partly because the emotions inside gained complete control over her again. Dismay, fear, frustration, guilt… they all contended for her attention, but in the end, the sisters of pity and sorrow won out, bringing unexpected rainfall with them. As Haru leaned forward, blood dripped from her shoulder onto the pavement, joined by her woeful tears and the final traces of crimson fluid that escaped her lips. Determined to hold herself together, Haru wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. The blood of her unfortunate victim touched her fingertips, drawing her gaze to him again. "Ichigo…" she murmured, lifting her hands to her eyes before burying her face in them. "Please… don't die…"

* * *

Well, there… maybe a little over the top drama wise, but I read it over twice. I hope it suited the liking of my readers. Today's Japanese lesson is extremely short, but I've supplemented it with a little note on Haru's bankai. Imagine that…

Hai: Yes

Domo: Thanks of some sort.

Nani: What

Nande: Why

Iie: No

Souka: I see

Matte kudasai: Please wait

A little note on Haru's bankai (sound familiar?): The word "Tenraihoshi" translates roughly to Divine (or Heavenly, if you prefer) Star (courtesy of Google translator or Babelfish… one or the other. Blame them if I'm wrong, but I did cross-reference it with an online dictionary). After returning the released Suzaku to its sheath, the guard breaks away, and the entire exterior of the sword with the exception of that little hoopy thing turns black. When released, it forms a slightly curved weapon twice the length of the shikai state, and turns entirely white save for the fabric wrapped around its middle, which stays black. Haru's uniform also turns white with the exception of the bands on her arm, which retain their usual black hue. She wields the weapon somewhat like one would a staff, but the edges are sharp and can thus cut/stab if she pleases. Attacks, I can't tell you about yet. They're a secret. Shh…

As always, thanks for reading, and thanks to my lovely reviewers! I will try to update as soon as possible!

Another A/N: The glorious return of the asterisks is at hand! * * * * What now? XD


	5. Chapter 5: Masks

A/N: Exams are over, and crafting portfolio pieces, winter reading, and fanfic writing are in full swing! As are a number of other things, like backaches, migraines, and inexplicable exhaustion… nonetheless, I promise to press onward for the sake of my fans, dwindling though they may be. I miss you guys, wherever you are, and wish you well. If my readers are good to me, then I'll post another chapter before I frolic merrily to the relative's house this Saturday. There, you have your motivation. Now, go forth and read! And try to enjoy it to the best of your ability… I feel like my skills are slipping or something…

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, but I do own this fanfic. Haha!

* * *

_Chapter 5: Masks_

When Haru's sensations returned, she was lying on her back on what felt soft enough to be a cloud, and it certainly was white enough to be. She squinted against the light that assaulted her now open eyes, slinging her arm over them. A hiss of discomfort passed through her lips as the first traces of words made their way to her ears. There were people talking outside her range of hearing, so she couldn't make out any words. Once she felt ready to see again, she removed her arm to find that time hadn't stopped despite her oblivion. The sun was beginning to flee from the evening following behind, though the afternoon lingered in spite of the chase. She moved her eyes over the ceiling, trying to recall some fragment of knowledge to her. Finding the task impossible, she settled for sitting up. Regret accompanied her action, following on the heels of the pain that erupted in her every appendage. They were lesser irritations compared to her shoulder, her left hip, and the searing agony in her back. Seeing the futility in her actions, Haru fell back on the pillow, curling into a defensive ball to hide from her pain as rapid breaths passed through her lips and a cold sweat coated her brow.

But it was still nothing… not compared to what kind of pain Ichigo must have been feeling. That memory drew her eyes closed, and behind them burned the very image she wished to forget more than anything. She couldn't forget, though, not until she knew for certain his condition. Haru was given no time to consider it, for a moment later, she heard a pair of steps crossing the room. A familiar figure drifted into sight, seating himself by the window and gazing at her sorrowfully. It took him a few moments to realize that she was awake, and when he did, he was so surprised that he leapt out of his chair. "Haru-sama! I didn't realize you… were awake." Her violet eyes shifted slightly, their passivity displaced by a leer.

"What did you give me?"

"Come again?"

"Hajime…" Haru glanced at her hands, now clean. Her right palm was wrapped in bandages just one shade darker than the sheets. Again, her eyes moved to him. "Surely, you must have given me something. Things feel kind of fuzzy…"

"I can't get anything past you, can I? Not even when you're like that, you still seem to know."

"Only fools do not know their own bodies," she murmured.

"If you wish to know, I only gave you a mild sedative and something to dull the pain. You wouldn't lie still when I was trying to treat you, so…" Some sort of musing seemed to cross his mind. His face erupted in a blush, and he cast his eyes absently out the window. "Ano… Haru-sama…"

"It's fine," she murmured. "You are, after all, a medical professional. I trust you won't tell anyone about my back, though."

"Iie… of course not." Hajime dared to glance in her direction, surprised to find her smiling despite the situation. "Nandesuka?"

"Just you," she murmured. "I can tell you're still getting adjusted to the fourth division. You're still awkward about treating women."

"Not women, Haru-sama… just you." Haru would have laughed, but the mere task of breathing was so painful, she nearly asked him for another dose of anesthesia. He was blushing so much, though, that she thought better of it.

"I understand," she murmured, shutting her eyes. The coy note in her voice drew him whirling to her.

"That's not it at all!"

"Nani? I was only going to say that, should Byakuya-sama threaten you in any way, I will be sure to remind him that you were only doing your job."

"What does Kuchiki-taichou have to do with this?" he demanded, throwing his gaze to the floor again. Sighing, Haru rolled onto her back and attempted to sit up. This time, she had more success. "Haru-sama, you really shouldn't be sitting up yet," Hajime chided, walking forward to push her down again, but with one resolute look of askance, his sternness scattered. He had never seen her look quite like that, so forlorn and full of dread.

"I suppose… he would probably get jealous. Of course, he will have enough cause for jealousy once I explain the situation regarding Ichigo to him." She tossed her head a bit before smoothing her hair from her face. At some point, Hajime must have taken it down, or perhaps it came undone before she reached the threshold of the fourth division. "Would you mind… telling me how I got here? I can't seem to remember all that clearly." Hajime sighed in defeat and bowed his head.

"You walked all the way here… carrying Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Did I?" She sounded more amused than ever, but the words were spoken with a grim note laced through their tone. "It does sound like something I would do. The trouble is, I could not have done so, not in the condition I was in."

"It's true. You made it all the way here. You even stayed standing while Koutetsu-fukitaichou went to fetch Unohana-taichou. By the time she came back with Unohana-taichou, you were staring out the window with tears in your eyes, so I figured I should just let you go." Haru shut her eyes and considered his words, but she also considered the way he abruptly paused. Slowly, the image of Ichigo lying unconscious on the ground was displaced by the memory of standing, as he had described, at a window and gazing at the clouds rolling through the sky. She would have envied them for their carelessness had her mind not been so consumed with grief and concern. Presently, two pairs of footsteps disrupted her thoughts, and turning towards the door, she saw Unohana, looking first to the pale, blood-stained face of Haru, then to the orange-haired boy laying on a stretcher. Already, his blood had seeped through the sheets. She took one step forward, leaning her uninjured shoulder against the wall as she turned slowly towards the higher-ups of the fourth division. They were awed by her for some reason, perhaps for her resilience in light of the severity of her injuries.

"Can you save him?" Haru asked. Isane opened her mouth to object, but Unohana acted rather than spoke. She circled Ichigo a couple of times, checking his vitals and lifting the sheet to examine the wound in his abdomen. Her eyes turned grim when she saw it, and with a sigh, she covered it again.

"Hajime, I want you to treat Haru-san. Isane, help me with him." As with the last time, an almost feral cast overcame her expression. She withdrew when Hajime took a single step forward, warning him with her gaze the consequences of doing anything against her will. Then, she cast those same eyes to Unohana. In an instant, their ferocity melted, becoming the most pitiful expression he had ever seen.

"Unohana-taichou, onegai… I have to know."

"I cannot say for sure. However, I will do my best." She nodded in consent as Hajime began towards her again, pushing away from the wall to meet him half-way, counting her steps silently.

_He has to live, _she thought. _If I end on my right foot, he will live, but if on the left, then I am made a murderer. _Such superstitions were childish, she knew, but she trusted fate enough not to give her false hope. Left, right, left, right…

And then, darkness fell. Haru glanced to Hajime as she returned to the present, her eyes obtaining that same pitiful cast they had possessed earlier. "Ichigo… how is he?"

"The injuries he sustained were severe, but Unohana-taichou seems to think he's over the worst of it. In fact, last I heard, he was awake, but that was a little while ago. He probably went back to sleep."

"Thank goodness," she sighed, dropping her head as her violet eyes were overcome with happy tears. Obstinately, she wiped them away, avoiding Hajime's gaze while she smiled. "Please forgive me… these tears are so shameful…"

"Hey, don't worry about it," Hajime reassured her. That only made her smile grow broader and her tears flow more readily. Haru composed herself, mainly through wiping her eyes so frequently, she cast her still misty eyes towards the window, peering at the sky through damp lashes, and once he was certain of her stability, he allowed himself the privilege of asking her a question. "Haru-sama… I have to ask, what happened out there? We all felt a hollow earlier, but it was mixed so potently with some other reiatsu that I mistook it for two shinigami fighting each other."

"That is precisely what it was, Hajime-san," she murmured.

"But that's impossible!" Haru shook her head, placing a hand on her forehead with another sorrowful smile that left her only company at a loss for words.

"You still live in a world bound by lines. No, you are not ready yet." He didn't understand her words, but he did understand that she was moving way too fast. With one resolute flick of her wrist, Haru threw the covers off and swung her feet over the side of the bed, giving him an even greater cause for concern. Before he could reach her, however, he was subdued by Haru's gaze, which reassured him that she knew her body better than he did. Her feet swung rhythmically back and forth, bare and hanging just above the floor. Eyeing the bandage on her right ankle, she tried to rotate it but only hissed in pain. _I must have twisted it on the way here and not even noticed… or perhaps it was when I fell. _A sigh escaped her lips as she examined her foot. Hopefully, fate had not lied to her.

"The reiatsu out there didn't feel like yours, though."

"That is because the form I used is one that I reserve for special occasions."

"What are you saying?" Her smile became ambiguous. After closing her hand around the top of her sleeping kimono, a muted shade of gray that stood out against the white sheets, she stopped swinging her feet and cast her eyes on Hajime.

"You are a smart young man. Think about it." Determinedly, Haru set her feet on the floor, giving a slight verbal wince as the task of supporting her weight fell to her. "Do you think you could leave the room for a moment, Hajime-san?"

"Haru-sama, I was given strict orders to keep you in bed, no matter what the cost to my health."

"Fine, stay," she returned, pacing to the corner of her room where her old uniform lay in tatters. She held it up to the light, absorbing every dark stain and silently differentiating his blood from hers. A new uniform lay next to it, on top of which rested the fabric bands she wore on her arms. She reached out to touch the restraint for her hair, as if it was foreign to her. The ribbon felt exceptionally pleasant as one end flowed through her fingers fluidly. Then, her hand moved to the wooden sword, which her fingers ran the length of as she spoke. "Suzaku… why did I say I would protect him? Why did you let me go so far?" Haru waited for an answer, letting the same smile cross her face. "I suppose it was better than saving it for Aizen. Still, Byakuya-sama will not be pleased with my conduct. I expect to be reprimanded, but that does not mean I am looking forward to it." A heavy sigh passed through her lips as she sighed. Not to be deterred by mere injuries or an unwanted presence, she began to work the knot around her waist, glancing up just in time to see Hajime bolt out and slam the door behind him, taking his mad blush with him.

"Haru-sama! Honestly, are you noble? You don't have a decent bone in your body! Warn me next time!"

"It isn't as if you haven't seen it before…"

"Urusai!" he argued, throwing his back against the closed door and covering his ears.

"And besides, I told you to get out, so technically, I warned you."

"You left the reason unspecified," he retorted.

"Oh, come now… don't be so resentful. It doesn't suit you at all." Hajime grumbled something while he sank into a sitting position and hunched forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"You honestly shouldn't be moving around yet, Haru-sama. Your wounds might re-open."

"In all honesty, I shouldn't be laying in that bed, not since I put Ichigo in his."

"Nani?" he cried, throwing the door open without thinking. Fortunately, Haru had finished dressing. After a few minor arrangements, she began sliding the black bands of fabric up her arms. "Haru-sama, I don't understand any of this. How… why… and… with what?"

"With great pain, because my life was in danger, and with Suzaku, of course."

"This doesn't make any sense! Why would you turn your blade on another shinigami?" Shaking her head at the conflicted look in his eyes, Haru sat down on the bed, pulling on her socks with difficulty. Then, she casually seized the sash and knotted it beside her right hip. Her phone somehow escaped harm in the battle, and after murmuring a thanks to chance for protecting it, she tucked it inside her haori. Her hair didn't matter at the moment, so its restraint soon joined the phone. All that was left was Suzaku, who waited faithfully for her wielder to step forward. "Haru-sama… make me understand, onegai…"

"Nevermore."

"This is no time for poetry, Haru-sama!"

"Meaning I lack the words to make you understand." For lack of an argument, Hajime kept himself from objecting, settling for a sigh instead. "Tell me something. If at some point in time, my two halves became independently manifested… that is, if I could go fully quincy and therein become ungodly powerful while at the same time suffering significant alterations in my demeanor and personality, would that change who I am? Would I still be Yamashita Haru, or would I be someone else?"

"Why are you asking me this, Haru-sama?"

"No reason other than my own twisted curiosity." Haru drew one knee up and wrapped her arms around it, letting her wounded right ankle hang. "So, do you have an answer?" Looking troubled and thoughtful, Hajime paced towards the window, keeping his back to her at all times. His blush was displaced by his seriousness, and it failed to return when he turned back to Haru.

"Honestly… I don't know. There is no instance of you being full quincy as far as I know. Nonetheless, whether you are quincy or shinigami, you will always be Haru-sama to me."

"Souka," she murmured, leaping off the bed and moving towards her zanpakutoh. She took it gingerly in her hands, relishing the feeling of its wood beneath her fingers. The ribbons swayed once Suzaku left her post, stopping only after Haru tucked it into the side of her obi. Hajime's eyes followed her towards the door, bidding her to stop in its frame and glance back to him. "Arigato, Hajime-san." As usual, her response bewildered him beyond all reason. Haru was beginning to resemble a book: within her words, she constantly placed hidden meanings. The trouble was, they took a lot of work to analyze, so he seldom understood her immediately.

"Matte," he said just as she was beginning to leave. "You are my patient. Therefore, I must ask where you are going."

"Just for a little chat," Haru responded. "I need some time alone, though, so if anyone comes to see Ichigo, I'm counting on you to stall them."

"Demo…"

"I have full confidence that you will not let me down, Hajime." And with that, she left him alone with his objections. Even he silently admitted how captain-like she sounded in that moment. A smile crossed his face at the thought of her becoming a captain, unlikely as it was. Still, he couldn't help but muse and wonder over that thought and over her words, for like most of the words Haru spoke, her final ones to him were shrouded in ambiguity.

* * *

Ichigo peered out the window without really seeing. The sky was still blue, and the clouds were still drifting. The sun was still warm. But there was a shadow looming, a shadow no amount of sun could burn away. It was a dark anticipation, the fear of being rejected or even persecuted for what he was. Thus far, his success rode on hiding the mask and his sinister half right along with it. What drove his inner hollow outward, he could only guess, but he knew it was coming, so he made an excuse to leave Ishida alone and tried vainly to reach a deserted area where he could either succumb quietly or subdue the hollow by degrees. It was only by chance that Renji and Rukia saw, that he had turned Zangetsu on them, and while fate's one kindness to him had been Haru's intervention, he felt doubly cursed because she had seen it, too.

The door to his room slid open, and he heard the sound without hearing, suspecting it was only one of the fourth division's members to check on his vitals for the hundredth time in half an hour. A doleful sigh left Ichigo as he resolved to succumb to the division's will, but acceptance wouldn't come so easy if they threatened his life or freedom. He knew he would fight, even if he had to fight alone. A shadow crossed his gaze, lithe and graceful yet with a weight about its motions that implied the difficulty of moving. He began to cast his eyes in its direction but immediately lost interest. There were larger problems for him to consider, like the aftermath and her condition. Back when his life was simple, they had one chance encounter, and when it got more difficult, they had had another. Now, in his darkest hour, Haru haunted him, a beacon that existed only to taunt his fallen shadow.

"For heaven's sake…" The words cut through the silence and caused him to jolt in surprise. Slowly, his half-lit eyes moved to the window, where the very wraith that haunted him stood leaning against its sill. A brisk breeze swept in, tossing the drapes and her unrestrained nutmeg hair about.

"H… Haru…"

"Cheer up. You're not at a funeral, Ichigo." Seeing that words were not enough, Haru smiled to the best of her ability, and once she was certain of its futility, she allowed her expression to return to its pensive state of concern. Her chin fell against her chest as her hands wrapped around the window sill. While Haru knew coming to see him was her duty, she found herself at a lack for words now that she had. Her hope that Ichigo would do the talking went unfulfilled only for a moment.

"Gomen." Her violet gaze shot towards him with surprising speed, devoid of its usual intensity. Instead, she came off as docile despite the sword tucked into her obi. Resolutely, Haru abandoned her post at the window sill and placed herself instead at the foot of Ichigo's bed, sitting with her face towards the window as she swung her feet above the floor.

"Is that all you have to say?"

"What else would there be?" That smile flickered briefly across her expression, tainted with the difficulty of her thoughts. Her eyes fled to the ceiling to count its numerous bumps as she herded her words into a form that would make sense to him.

"I suppose you could tell me how you feel right now."

"Sore and tired, just like I should be. What the hell does it matter?"

"As usual, you take everything in a literal sense," she sighed, shaking her head slowly. "I know you are frightened, Ichigo, frightened straight out of your wits."

"Wouldn't you be if you were in my position?"

"I was, but then I learned to accept it." Haru raised her left hand to the sun, allowing it to catch the luminous beams slipping through the window. Ichigo examined it for a moment, and slowly, the words came back to him. _What am I? I have asked myself that question for years, and still, I have no suitable answer. _The sight of her came back just a moment later, the white uniform, the crimson stain on her shoulder, the melancholy undertones in her smile, the pleading restraint in her eyes, and last but not least, that weapon she held. All the while, Ichigo could only stare at her, speechless in light of the revelation. "You see, Ichigo, I am hollow on the inside, too, but not in the same way you are. It is called the void, and it is my inner world, whereas your hollow is someone who resides in your own inner world."

Having had enough of sitting, Haru set her feet on the ground, rising with difficulty. She hid most of her pain for Ichigo's sake, not wanting him to see how much damage he had really caused, but the bandages around her hand and her neck reminded him constantly of who carved those cuts into her skin. Suddenly, his demeanor changed, and Haru felt the sting of his leer against her back. "Why are you here? By all rights you should have killed me."

"And I suppose you're angry with me for that?"

"Hell, no. I'm more pissed off that I'm too damn stubborn to die." Without warning, Haru jerked the sword out of her obi and brought it down on Ichigo's head, summoning another string of expletives from his mouth as he held his throbbing cranium. "Jeez! Show a guy a little sympathy! I'm wounded here…"

"Hai," she said sternly, not taking her eyes off his for a moment. "You are wounded, in more ways then one. It is quite plain to me, but that is no excuse for your words. Don't you dare let me hear you talking about dying again, or I swear to the gods, you won't live to regret it. Besides…" She paused, letting her eyes fall to some obscure corner of the room. "You would do well to remember who put you in that bed in the first place." Without another moment's delay, she bowed deeply, causing him even more discomfort than that which he already felt. "Please accept my apology. I went too far, and…"

"I won't hear it."

"Nani?" she inquired, throwing a vehement violet gaze at him. "Ichigo…"

"I won't hear it," he repeated, scratching his ear indignantly. Haru sighed but let him have his victory. He had enough to worry about without having to argue with her. It showed plainly in his eyes once another second drifted by. His determination fell to fear and sorrow, and he once again pretended to look out the window when he was really looking inside himself. When her shadow moved again, he realized she was wearing her sandals indoors. Surprised, he glanced to her feet, and sure enough, she donned them. In silence, Ichigo asked her with her eyes what she intended to do, but Haru wasn't revealing any secrets. Instead, she hid them with her usual smile.

"Ichigo," she murmured in a low tone. "The truth of the matter is, I have been watching you all along. You went beyond my sight and became touched by some dark shadow within. After I learned that much, I knew it had to be this way. I had to protect you, protect you from the pain of walking society's lines, protect you from losing control and doing harm to those you cared about, because such things should be held dearer than all else in the world."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"You didn't have to get mixed up with me at all, so why'd you choose to?" Haru raised her left arm so the light caught the cross on her wrist. It winked vibrantly as she turned her back to him, speaking to that which dwelled outside the room in the infirmary.

"It was destiny."

"Come on. You know I'm not the kind of person that buys into that whole pre-determined kind of thing."

"Then you deem it a coincidence that two beings such as us would meet in battle under such circumstances that just unfolded?" Her eyes flashed to him, demanding an answer, and when he only gave her silence, Haru continued. "We are a danger to order, Ichigo, because unlike other shinigami, our powers are actually a blend of two. Nonetheless, you may very well be the thing that tips the scale in Soul Society's favor… if they don't condemn you for the crime of existence." Haru turned to the window again, folding her arms behind her back. "Perhaps you are unaware of this, because the memory of the fight was slightly unclear to me as well when I first woke up, but I will tell you… Suzaku was not built to reach bankai."

"Bankai?" Ichigo echoed.

"Hai. Having three attack forms in shikai, plus a fourth initial form that can be used both prior to and subsequent to release… that in itself is versatile enough, is it not? And yet… when she spoke of a power beyond all that, I found myself willing to listen. I fought her in the void, and I won, and as a reward, I was allowed to achieve bankai. At the time, I wasn't really sure of anything. After all, why would I want more power? I am the successor to a noble family. I possess a wealth of knowledge on kidou. My kenjutsu alone is a force to be reckoned with…"

"Don't I believe it?" To emphasize his point, he rubbed his head, wincing at the recollection of having taken a blow. "So, why'd you do it, then?" Haru peered at him over her shoulder, still smiling despite the grim look on his face.

"Take a guess."

"I'd be willing to bet it had something to do with Ishida."

"Not just Ishi-nii," she stated, "but you aren't far off the mark."

"You can't blame me. I don't know you well enough to take a real guess at it."

"When did I ever condemn you?" Haru inquired, stretching as she turned towards him again. "I am not qualified to pass that kind of judgment, Kurosaki Ichigo." Finally, the moment she had been waiting for arrived. The slightest trace of a smile flashed across his expression, scattering the traces of his melancholy and giving way to something like contentment. They shared their happiness in silence, but only briefly, for Haru soon turned away and closed the distance between herself and the window sill, placing her hands against its frame and peering at the ground. "I'll give you some time to think on it. You may have another guess if it is your desire."

"Nani? Where are you going?"

"Oh, just a little business I have to take care of. If I lose those glasses, Ishi-nii will scold me, and I already have it coming from Byakuya-sama as it is. Better to suffer two stings from one sharp tongue than risk having two venoms mix unfavorably."

"Matte, Haru…"

"Please don't concern yourself with my well-being, Kurosaki Ichigo. I am perfectly fine."

"But that window isn't a door!"

"Of course it isn't," Haru stated with a shrug. "But in all honestly, things with one purpose tend to bore me. Besides, the door will serve its own purpose shortly." Those were her final words before she set one foot against the window sill and leapt out of it, leaving Ichigo to his musings… at least for a little while. Before he could return to his ruminations, the door slid open and fulfilled its purpose just as Haru promised.

* * *

Violet eyes raced over her surroundings. She had seen the inside of that office more than enough times to be familiar with everything, but it seemed the walls possessed different shades and colors now beyond the singularity she first perceived. Painted by shadows cast by the fading light, the once uniform pigment now took on a whole myriad of colors, some gray, some violet, some blue. In silence, she reached out a hand to feel the color only to have her shadow distort it at the last moment. Her examination was disrupted by the sigh of the man she came to see. "Nani? Usually, you are eager to meet with me."

"Indeed, but it is seldom you approach me with the desire to speak, and on such short notice…"

"Moushiwake arimasen, Soutaichou-sama, but the situation calls for an emergency meeting." Haru turned away from the wall, pressing her glasses, which she had recovered prior to coming there, up the bridge of her nose. Through them, she examined the elderly man, seated yet keeping one hand on his enormous cane. "You know why I am here, do you not?"

"I sincerely hope it is to justify your course of action earlier this afternoon."

"My actions need no justification; I simply acted in the most efficient manner I saw fit. That included ensuring my personal safety, securing the lives of any bystanders, which fortunately, there were only two, and minimizing property damage."

"So you still deny your possession of bankai?"

"Did I ever explicitly do so in your presence?" Haru returned, sharpening her gaze beneath that of the captain commander. "I believe I said, when you expressed your desire to make me a captain, that shinseinahi was the pinnacle of Suzaku's power. I neither denied nor confirmed your suspicions."

"At our last meeting, you denied it."

"That is true, and I have paid my dues for it already. However, if you see fit to punish me further, I have no qualms with you doing so." She turned fully to him, wrapping one hand around the handle of her sword before crossing the room with slow, deliberate steps. Twice, she wavered, not out of hesitation but out of pain, and on several occasions, her breath hitched. Still, she managed to place herself before him, standing rigidly as a soldier would with her shoulders squared and her eyes determined. "Whatever consequences my actions bear, I accept them gladly, unjust though they may be."

"Unjust? How so?"

"The law regarding use of bankai is rather explicit. The situation was of Class A importance, though it was never officially declared. Then again, I suppose you do not trust the judgment of a sanseki. Am I correct?" One eye flashed open to examine Haru. Everything down to her very posture implied concealment, and not just of her poor physical condition. "Had I let the matter go, half of Seireitei would probably be destroyed by now, or worse… you could have lost one of your most valuable allies in the coming war. I also recall telling you that, despite that law, I would use bankai to protect the things that are precious to me. Soul Society is very dear to my heart, Soutaichou-sama, and if my acting to protect it is perceived by you or anyone else as a crime, then by all means, let me be punished. I will accept any penalty you see fit." He expected her to mention her hatred of prison and the importance of her own role in the war against Aizen, but she touched on neither. She simply bowed her head deeply, holding her left hip as it throbbed. A curtain of nutmeg locks blocked her eyes from view, leaving Genryuusai to himself to consider the matter.

"Raise your head," he commanded. Haru did as she was asked, swaying slightly but still managing to stand. "I will leave it for Byakuya-dono to decide your punishment, if he even deems one fit considering the circumstances. Your opponent, no doubt, required you to go as far as you did."

"Yes… it is precisely that matter which I have come to discuss with you." Intrigued by this sudden turn of events, the old man leaned back and contented himself to savor Haru's eloquence. "I have come to ask for a formal pardon on his behalf. He was not in his right mind when he turned his sword on me, and it took a weapon of equal power to counter him. I realize… that circumstances like his are uncommon and thus gain acceptance only with difficulty. Furthermore, the fact that he has yet to tame that wild side of himself generates a potential threat to Soul Society's order, but still… I plead for him not because I pity him, but because I know deep down he could never stand to see its destruction." She bowed again, hoping her plea did not fall on deaf ears, and when she felt Genryuusai's eyes on her, she glanced up briefly.

"He nearly killed you. Why would you defend him?"

"I find him blameless in the matter."

"Foolish."

"Is it?" Haru inquired, turning towards the balcony to gaze towards the fading colors of day. "What is it that makes him guilty, other than casting the first swing against his will? I am just as guilty as he is from that standpoint, for I had the option to interfere or let the matter be. Then, I would be guilty for abandoning my duties, and since I count that the greater transgression, I unsheathed my sword." When Haru turned to him again, her eyes were pleading and desperate. Clearly, her deliberation was beginning to deplete her energy, and with each movement, she risked losing more of her blood. She remained steady as soon as she set her feet where they belonged, slightly parted with her left foot forward. "Soutaichou-sama, please place all matters concerning Kurosaki Ichigo in my jurisdiction. I will deal with him as I see fit, and if he ever poses a dire threat as he nearly did today, then I will kill him myself. In addition, I will bear whatever repercussions come about on account of his actions in his place."

"Why all this for a mere substitute?"

"An excellent question," Haru stated, smiling as she pushed her glasses up, "but one I am not inclined to answer at the present time."

"You feel a certain closeness to him."

"His situation is akin to mine. How can I not?" Genryuusai considered her motives for a moment in silence, but Haru soon supplemented his thoughts with further words. "I can assure you, that is not the only reason. I don't want others judging him for what he is because, quite frankly, I feel many would judge him unfairly. Having been subjected to this aspect of the system myself, I wish to spare him that minor pain. He shoulders one far greater as it is." There… all the words were spoken. All she could do now was wait for an answer, and it was long in coming. To prevent herself from sagging to the ground, she had to lean against the entryway, gazing at the sky while he mused over the matter.

"As convincing as your argument is, I cannot do as you ask."

"Can I ask why?"

"Because the authority you seek is one that can only be rightly placed in the hands of a captain." A jolt of energy raced through her blood, and beneath the lenses of her glasses, her eyes shone with desperation. Here, she had anticipated more time before facing the moment of truth, but it had been knocking the whole time, pleading entry into existence with sweet words. A fresh dilemma despite having overcome one already bubbled within her chest. Her family matters forgotten, she now faced this new prospect of power. She considered her doubts, her misgivings, and what she stood to lose, and when her mind came to the matter of Soul Society's interests, the correct course of action became even more muddled.

_Power… _she thought. _I have feared it all my life because it always falls into my lap. I am currently in line to be the next heir of the Yamashita clan, and now… _ Haru didn't dare go further. In that moment, she knew where her heart truly was, where her efforts were fully invested. Her words to Hitsugaya fluttered through her head. _He cannot protect me forever, though…_

"Harbor no ill feelings towards me, Haru-sama."

"Very well," she murmured, turning towards him. _I see, now… the moment is right. The winds are favorable. The time to fly… has finally come upon me. _With renewed steadiness, she crossed the floor, and with the same soldier's stance, she stood before him, shoulders straightened, arms at her sides, gaze directed slightly lower than her superior's. "If that is the case, then there is only one solution, really, and I do believe you are aware of what that is." He peered at her intently, leaning forward with a knowing in his eyes that clearly revealed his desire to hear her speak the words, and as usual, Haru did not disappoint him. "_Yamamoto Genryuusai_ Shigekuni, please grant me the honor of a captain's title."

* * *

They didn't say much after they arrived, and since Ichigo felt he had nothing to say to them, he simply kept his eyes diverted from theirs. The sky was blood red in the west now, with the sun and all its luminous procession marching away from day. Neither Renji nor Rukia knew exactly what was going through his mind as he watched that sunset, but the guilt seemed beyond either of them. Even Ishida had been respectful of his wishes and had refrained from any unnecessary questioning. His patience was eroding, however. He showed it in his gaze if nowhere else, yet he never really got the choice of demanding answers because Ichigo's lips parted, and from them came words that lacked context. "The reason…" he murmured, resting one hand on his chin and peering to his company. "Kuso! I can't think a bit on it with you three here."

"See if I ever come visit you in the damn infirmary again!" Renji shouted.

"By all rights, you shouldn't be here anyway." He seemed surprised at his own words, especially when he saw the pained expression on Rukia's face. Quickly, he searched for some other object to fix his gaze on, finding none since the room was plainly decorated in neutral colors. After settling on the floor, he dropped his eyes to it. "Why are you here, anyway? Is there really any point to it now, or is it just some kind of formality? After what I tried to do…"

"Yeah, about that…" Renji's voice trailed off, leaving nothing but an incomplete sentence behind. Then, in his usual vociferous manner, he captured his fragment and made it whole. "I owe you one hell of an ass-kicking for it!"

"Eh?" he murmured.

"You're dense, as usual," Rukia retorted, crossing her arms. "I think what Renji's trying to say is, we're your friends, Ichigo. If you have a problem, you don't have to shoulder it by yourself. We're here to help." The politics no longer mattered, nor did Seireitei or Soul Society. Nothing else mattered but that reassurance, the thing he held dearer than anything else in the world. Gratitude drew his head into a bow, and exhaustion from having worried all day. Rukia sensed his relief and added, "Don't think that doesn't mean you're out of danger, Ichigo. It is more than likely that Yamamoto-soutaichou will take some action against you."

"It's fine," he stated. "That's just fine."

"It won't be fine if they execute you."

"Would they really go that far?" Ishida inquired. Neither Renji nor Rukia spoke, but then the latter provided an answer that neither augmented nor alleviated their anxieties.

"This case is so unusual, it's hard to say what they'll do. Nonetheless, he did draw his sword against his allies, and for that, he will likely face charges, regardless of what Renji and I say." A grim overtone swept across the room, leaving each of them speechless. Only Ichigo was unfazed, and that was only since he had returned to his previous riddle. A thought crossed his mind, and he immediately looked to Ishida, smiling strangely despite the slight tension that still resided between them.

"Your sister's really something, Ishida. Hell of a fighter…" He paused, wrapping an arm around his stomach with a wince before continuing. "It's strange that I remember this, but the whole time I was fighting her, I found myself wondering when she would kill me. I knew she had more than enough strength to. At the same time, she kept getting this pitiful look on her face… I can't explain it at all. It seemed like her only vulnerability."

"Haru-sama has knelt over enough corpses to be intimately acquainted with the pain of death. I suppose she didn't kill you because she didn't want to be the one causing that pain."

"Not a lot of people would care if I died…"

"Of course they would!" Rukia interjected. "Think of Inoue and Sado, and Renji and me. Ishida, too… and Urahara-san, and your family…"

"Strange as it sounds, I reckon Haru'd be a little upset if she'd killed you, but she'd probably still be upset even if it wasn't by her hand."

"Well said, Abarai," Ishida stated. "Still, you provoked her into using a form none of us have seen." The acrimony in his voice was evident, and as much as Ichigo wished to subdue it, he couldn't find the words to do so. The stillness passed with Renji's movement. He glanced at the door suddenly, as if he expected someone to walk in.

"Nandesuka?" Rukia inquired.

"Nothin'… just thought I felt something." Everyone was content to let the matter drop. It was the stillness that irritated them, grated against their nerves…

"Kurosaki," Ishida murmured, pushing the glasses up his nose. "Tell me one thing… just how many injuries did she walk away with?"

"Ishida…" Rukia offered quietly, immediately sensing the guilt well up inside of the bedridden substitute. "That isn't the kind of thing you should be asking about right now…"

"She is notably absent from the building. Did she even come back alive, or did you kill her?"

"Hell, no I didn't kill her!" Ichigo cried. "She just went off somewhere."

"Where?"

"How should I know? She didn't say anything, just left. She didn't even use the door… reckless, is what she is."

"She ain't the only one."

"No one asked you," he retorted, glaring at the redhead.

"Nani? Speak up if you wanna be heard."

"Yeah, but if you speak too damn loudly, you're going to make us all deaf."

"Who's speakin' loud?" Renji demanded, while Rukia and Ishida observed them.

_Looks like he's feeling better, _she thought, sighing with relief.

"Their fighting is irritating."

"True, but as long as it doesn't come to blows, I think I can put up with it." She smiled in understanding and bowed her head, catching a glimpse near the window. It was too close to act, and if she had, she would have wound up bringing the whole building down. Ishida had only gotten his quincy cross out when a blurred shadow came into the window's frame, cutting through the air with a wooden sword and destroying the small pestilence of a hollow before it entered the building. In that moment, her reiatsu blazed gold around her, drawing the lighthearted argument to a standstill. Immediately, she lost her balance, exhausted from the day's many tribulations, and just as with the hollow, no one could act. Ishida only had enough time to call her name before she fell backwards.

"Haru-sama!" That seemed to bring her back to reality. She let the sword slide through her hands until she grasped its middle, then turned it so either end caught the outside of the building. Hanging there with her feet against the sill, she lingered for a moment despite the pain racing through her shoulder and the lightness in her head. Already, she could feel his piercing gaze on her back, for in the commotion, no one noticed the regal figure standing in the room's rightful doorway. It was only with difficulty that Haru placed one foot on the floor and tilted her sword to allow it passage through the window. Had the wall not been there, she would have fallen, but she settled for leaning against it, unable to walk yet obstinately clinging to her ability to stand. She took a moment to catch her breath before tilting her head upwards, pressing her back against the wall and relishing the way her nutmeg locks fell away from her face. Raising a hand to her face, she realized she was still wearing her glasses and removed them, tucking them into her haori as Byakuya had her last pair. Then, her violet eyes locked on him.

"As always, your timing is impeccable." Smiling weakly, Haru released the remainder of her breath. Along with it went the will to stand, and she sank to the floor unsteadily once the strength in her knees had fully gone. She relinquished her grasp on Suzaku to slide one hand beneath her haori and investigate her right shoulder. A grim look overcame her when she drew her fingers out. They were covered in blood, but the sight of it only made her smile again. "I suppose I will be feeling this in the morning… what a pity."

"Haru-sama, don't speak of your injuries so likely! You need medical attention!"

"It's fine," she interrupted. "Besides, I'm more exhausted than anything. You have nothing to worry about."

"Demo…" To prove her point, Haru managed to get to her feet, though it was slowly and by many miniscule degrees. Once she was standing, she swayed a bit before sighing again.

"You really are a pain, Ichigo." Her one visible eye moved to him, silently chiding the guilt on his face. When she heard movement, her gaze shifted to it only to find Byakuya closing the door. Once he began to cross the room, her senses became more alert, particularly because the object of his gaze was not her but the bedridden Ichigo.

"Kurosaki Ichigo," he said through his teeth. "I will see you tried and convicted for this grievous crime, or I will kill you myself."

"Nii-sama…"

"Taichou…" Though both of them wanted to argue the point, neither of them could find the courage to, yet their opinions were voiced through the most unlikely vessel, and in a tone far stronger than that which she should have used.

"You will not touch him." Genuine surprise flickered in his eyes, but only for a moment, only as he peered at Haru, who still could not stand without some kind of support. Still, the look in her eyes was concrete: she had spoken, and her words would be heeded.

"You would defend him? He gave you those wounds. And what he is… it's unspeakable." Ichigo didn't argue the point and favored hiding his eyes again, but when he heard a fist slam against the wall, he peered upwards to find the normally passive Haru shooting a gaze like venom straight towards Byakuya, who appeared stern enough but truly did not know what to do with himself. The sound of blood dripping to the floor made it all the more evident that Haru should not be exerting so much energy, but Ishida knew what futility it was to stop her, not when she had that look in her eyes. They hid in shadow as she began to speak, and with each word she spoke, her voice became louder.

"What he is? You have the audacity to judge him just because he wears a mask? Some noble you are… you wear them all the time. We all do, every one of us. Or is it because of the hollow in him? Is that it?"

"He is a threat to the order…"

"And what makes me any different?" she shouted, raising her misty eyes to him. The sun illuminated the tears that escaped, drawing her head into a shamed bow. There were too many people in the room to see her tears, far too many, but they still rushed forth in a steady flood. "What gives you the right to judge him, Kuchiki Byakuya? Power? Prestige? Nobility? What gives any of us the right to judge anyone? You hypocrite… you damn hypocrite…"

"Haru-sama, that's enough. This isn't good for you," Ishida murmured.

"Iie," she countered. "I will finish speaking, even if I lose my life in the process." Haru dried her face with the back of her left hand, covering her eyes briefly as a fresh wave of tears overtook her. Disdainfully, she wiped them away, casting a look of weary angst on Byakuya, whose expression remained unaltered beneath the onslaught of her words. "How quick you are to forsake the lessons of your sensei. A man of honor would only do so after heavy evaluation." There it was, a single twitch in his temple, but his face remained as blank and unfeeling as a stone. "You have no reason to be angry with Ichigo. What happened today was fate, so blame it, and if you don't believe in such things, then blame me. I was the one that broke the rules, whereas this young man's only crime is the unfortunate nature of his existence." Haru swayed again, bowing her head beneath the incredible weight of Byakuya's gaze. No longer could she bear to look into it, as blank and stoic as it was. "This reception… it almost makes me wish I would have let him kill me."

"Do not speak that way," he stated. "You were hasty in interpreting my meaning, Haru-kun. I merely meant to repay the injuries he caused you."

"That doesn't change the fact that you called him an abomination."

"I recall saying no such thing."

"Liar," she said, leering at him through her nutmeg locks. "Your intention was clear enough. Tell me, then… if he is an abomination, then what does that make me?" Her voice dared him to answer, but it was a challenge left unmet. The look on his face could have easily been mistaken for shame, a thing that Byakuya seldom felt and never displayed. Still, his fingers curled into a first momentarily before relaxing again, an odd reaction from the typically stoic captain. "You still have a long way to go before you completely understand the position I am in. Next time, I ask that you not speak so hastily." His startled sapphire eyes found hers, gleaming gold when they were touched by the light of the setting sun. Though the violet spheres were shaded, their vibrancy was undeniably and unusually intense.

"You are entitled to more anger than you have shown, Haru-kun."

"Iie," she responded, "because that would only make us both suffer more than we already have." Violet eyes moved to him, speaking of exhaustion beyond comprehension. When he began inspecting her with his gaze, Haru had no choice but to accept. His eyes moved from her toes to her face, noting the bandages wrapped around her right ankle, noting the way she held her left hip with a bleeding right hand. Her right shoulder and neck were also coated in bandages, though the former didn't seem to be doing any good. A few rivulets of blood crawled down her arm, a result of having torn open her wound in entering by the window. Slowly, he succumbed to the desire to sigh, speaking only when the silence became too much.

"Did he leave no part of you uninjured?" The manner of his words was notably unusual to Renji's ears, and his companions seemed equally astounded by the tender apology laced through his undertones. Still, they didn't want to disrupt him, so they said nothing. Haru examined him for a moment, then wordlessly extended her left hand, trying to guess his attention but carrying the knowledge that he would her no harm. Gingerly, he pressed his pale fingers against her palm and guided the extended hand to his chest, folding his own over it to ensure it would not escape. Haru could detect it in his eyes: there was something he was trying to tell her, but she couldn't interpret it, not with the fervor he took in concealing it. Her fingers twitched slightly when they became aware of his heartbeat. Realizing this message would have to be felt rather than heard, she bowed her head and focused on the rhythm.

It didn't take long for her eyes to open again, touched by the crimson light of the setting sun that highlighted their concern. She began to speak but then became aware that they were not alone. Shyly, she ran her gaze over the room, thankful for the redness that concealed her blush, and finally looked back to her host with a smile. "Byakuya-sama… did I worry you?" His eyes fell shut at the very mention of the word, almost as if he didn't want her to see it. "Gomenasai," she added, loud enough for only him to hear. Byakuya peered at her, this time with a little more clarity in his gaze. Among the confidence and concern, there rested a rather peculiar trace of emotion, a deep-seated shame that Haru could not explain or justify. She could only comfort him with a smile that nearly broke his composure and shattered his mask.

"I still have to reprimand you for unauthorized use of bankai."

"I am well aware," Haru sighed, "but can you at least grant me a few moments alone with Ichigo before you do? There is something I need to discuss with him."

"Considering he went after my sister, my vice captain, and my third seat, I shall have to deal with him when you are finished." Despite the pained look of conflict in Haru's eyes, Byakuya kept her hand pressed against his chest, desperate to save that one bit of contact until he absolutely had to relinquish it. "Do not look at me as if his fate is not mine to decide."

"But it isn't," Haru answered, firm yet hesitant. "It is my matter to deal with."

"And who, pray tell, gave you that authority?" Uncomfortable with the way he was gazing at her, Haru evaded his gaze and focused on a corner of the room. The grip on her hand tightened, a silent request for the truth she couldn't give in its entirety. Nonetheless, there was no harm in hiding the entire matter.

"Yamamoto-soutaichou." A completely blank look overcame Byakuya's face on a level that far surpassed emotional. He couldn't wrap his mind around it despite having his hands wrapped around hers. Her free hand, now clean of blood, dove between the black and white layers of her shihakusho and withdrew a formal document folded in thirds. "I… I approached him this afternoon with a formal request to handle the matter just after waking up. He saw no problem with granting it, considering how thinly you have already spread yourself. However, if you would rather decide his fate yourself, I will not stand in your way, Byakuya-sama."

"Iie," he stated, his voice betraying his mask of certainty. He shifted his grip on her hand so that it was between his own bare palms. "I know you will be a fair judge, Haru-kun. Besides, my superior has given you the task. I am in no position to argue with him." Byakuya was still moving her hand, but Haru paid no attention to where it was going until she felt his breath race across her skin. Before she could pull away, his lips were against it, drawing out an inferno of mortification because she was ever aware of their audience. Four jaws fell to the floor, but he was oblivious. As far as he was concerned Haru was the only one who was worthy of his attention. She could feel him smirk against it, which only served to enrage her. Only when the door banged open did she attempt to escape, but the attempt failed when she tripped over her own feet. Byakuya kept her from falling, but just barely. He wound one arm around her waist at the last minute. The worst of it was looking into his eyes, seeing clearly that he was enjoying himself.

"I had no idea things had gotten so serious between you two."

"Takumi-san…" she breathed, thanking Byakuya with her eyes when he allowed her escape. "Why are you here?"

"Looking for you. Hajime's about to have a conniption because he can't track you down. Unohana-taichou signed your release forms, so after he gives you a once over, you can go."

"Really?"

"Come on… do I look like I'd lie to you?" Around that time, he noticed the other figures in the room, among them his vice captain and Haru's nominal brother. "What's the matter? You guys look like you saw a ghost. Did my appearance really surprise you so much, Abarai-fukutaichou? You must be losing your touch…"

"Enough," Haru stated. "Please show your superiors more respect in the future, Takumi-san." Under normal circumstances, he would have questioned her, but seeing her so beaten up, and with that serious look on her face to boot, he found he didn't have the heart to. "Ichigo…"

"Hmm?" he inquired.

"You are fortunate that you turned your blade on me rather than on someone else. I hereby clear you of any charges that may have been brought against you. However, I would like you to speak with some acquaintances of mine. I think they may be able to help you." Haru paused and turned back to him, her violet eyes vibrant with some sentiment or other. "We will handle this business when you are back on your feet. Until then, get some rest. You are going to need it, as am I, in the days to come."

"Yes, ma'am."

"That isn't necessary," she retorted. The sourness in her voice made him grin, revealing a rather striking similarity between the substitute and the noble: they both liked to see what emotion they could drag through that placid mask of hers. Sighing heavily, she pressed a hand to her head. At least he had forgotten; she could still feel Ishida seething behind his glasses, which he pushed up the bridge of his nose. "Ishi-nii, please call Urahara-sensei and tell him to get in touch with me within the next three days. I must keep him notified on this matter concerning Ichigo."

"Hai, Haru-sama."

"It was not meant as an order." Even the tone in which she delivered that reassurance commanded obedience. Ishida said nothing as she passed, but he did seize her left wrist tightly enough to stop her in her tracks.

"Haru-sama, did something happen? You're acting strange…"

"Forgive me. I am only tired, so I must not be myself." She turned back to him, smiling reassurance as she attempted to coax her wrist out of his grasp, but Ishida clung to it as if it was his only connection to life. The vehemence in his eyes was undeniable, but the helpless look she gave him spoke more than her words could. She was not obliged to tell him anything, and as much as she wanted to, she could no more speak than heal her own wounds. Takumi was gazing at her impatiently, yet he failed to goad her along with either his eyes or his occasional impatient sigh.

"You… should not be leaving the infirmary tonight," he murmured. "Your reiatsu is depleted enough as it is. That little stunt you pulled with that hollow earlier…" Sensing the futility and foolishness in his own words, he bowed his head, locking his eyes on the cross hanging about her wrist before concluding. "I fear for your health, Haru-sama."

"Ishi-nii…" Her voice was gentler this time, but the authority still glimmered in her eyes. "I realize there is a just cause for your concern, but I feel I will better recover my strength if I am in a more familiar environment." Ishida's eyes left the ground to peer into her own. They were smiling still, yet they were undeniably different than they had been. She seemed content despite her state, stripped of the ability to wear her glasses while she shouldered a plethora of emotions. "What is it that you desire?"

"Nani?"

"That look in your eyes… you want something. If you tell me what it is, I may be more capable of obliging."

"Haru-sama, that really isn't necessary…"

"Nonsense," she interrupted, moving to rest her hand on his shoulder, but recalling the blood, she refrained from doing so. "Despite my state, I can assure you that I will make an effort to do whatever it is. Won't you please tell me?" There she was, the Haru he called his sister, and the very sound of her voice drew a smile to his face.

"If it's not too much trouble, quit trying to give me a heart attack."

"I cannot make any promises."

"Then at least make a conscious effort," he chided.

"As you say." She continued towards the door, bowing her head slightly to Renji and Rukia in thanks as she passed them, but she paused when Rukia actually gave her a similar sign of respect. "I can only assume you have been informed of my peculiar situation, then?"

"Hai, Haru-dono."

"Then let me be the first to tell you that I prefer being addressed in a less formal manner, so just Haru will do, all right?" Despite her doubts regarding the shinigami, even Rukia acknowledged there was just something about Haru that enabled her to put all fears at ease when she smiled. "I apologize for not being able to tell you myself."

"Iie… that isn't…"

"Oi, Haru-sama!" Takumi interjected. "Will you hurry it up? I'm dying of boredom over here…"

"Honestly, you don't have a respectful bone in your body, do you?"

"Oh, I've got plenty… when I don't feel like I'm wasting my time."

"If it's women you have a problem with, get over here. I'll crack your damn skull open even if I lose a little blood in the process."

"When did I say that?" he demanded indignantly.

"Case and point," Haru returned, crossing her arms as she crossed the threshold. "Please return home without me. I will be along soon." The words were added as an afterthought she was hardly given the time to express, for Takumi slammed the door and started walking down the hallway with Haru following closely in his shadow. "Takumi-san, what are you so angry for?"

"I'm not angry."

"Then you're jealous."

"I am not jealous!" he shouted in response, whirling to face her with the indignant light flashing clearly in his eyes. Startled, Haru drew back, turning towards the wall as if to invoke its aid. When he realized what he had done, an apologetic look came into his face, and he cast his eyes shamefully to the ground. "To be surrounded by people that care about you… I've been called a demon all my life because of my tendencies. I am hasty in battle, and I possess no shred of mercy. For the longest time, Umari-sensei thought I would never get into a division, but because of my high marks and favorable evaluations, I was placed in division six."

"You sound a little disheartened, but you were given the seventh seat. You should be proud of yourself," Haru reassured him. The frown on his face only grew at those words. Swiftly, Takumi turned away from her. "Have the other squad members been giving you trouble?"

"Iie… it's just…" He didn't know how to say it, so he said nothing. When he continued forward again, Haru did so as well, this time in silence. "I don't really feel like I belong there. I feel like I was born for greater things despite the greatness I already have. Don't think me hungry for power or authority or anything like that… it's just not in my nature. Still, I feel… I feel like I could have been placed higher, like this seventh seat is only a temporary test until I prove myself. Then… I can't see beyond that. I'm scared of what happens then, but at the same time, I can't wait to get there."

"I understand," Haru stated. "The only thing you can do is be patient. Can you do that for me, Takumi-san?" One eye shot over his shoulder, displaying only obedience to her request without understanding the motives behind it. At some point, his steps slowed so that she was walking beside him. Then, to his surprise, Haru took the lead as if she knew where she was going. It was a matter that made the wheels in his mind turn without grinding. Though he knew there was something he should have known, he lacked comprehension of it, and all his thoughts became vain when Haru looked to him, her eyes glimmering brighter than the lights that lined the hallway. Her hand rested on the very door he had intended to take her to. "Takumi-san, thank you for escorting me."

"It's no trouble at all, really." Haru smiled grimly and bowed her head before shutting the door behind her, leaving him alone in the hallway with no company but his thoughts. When he was certain she would not be coming out again for a while, he slid into the shadows, knowing that, despite having removed one of his masks, that sense of belonging had eluded him once more.

* * *

There… another epic-tastic chapter written by yours truly. If you feel like things are moving too fast, then don't worry… they slow down a bit after this. A very pivotal moment, if you ask me… then again, I'm just the author. As you can tell, I'm a little loopy at the moment, so I'll just go straight to the Japanese lesson:

Iie: No

Nandesuka: What is it

Ano: Japanese equivalent of um.

Nani: What

Onegai: Please

Souka: I see

Arigato: Regular old form of thanks

Matte: Wait

Demo: But

Gomen: I'm sorry

Hai: Yes

Moushiwake arimasen: A highly formalized apology

Kuso: Japanese swear word. Huzzah and a half!

Gomenasai: A formal apology.

Wow… lots of Japanese in this chapter. And since I didn't thank all my readers, reviewers, and fans at the beginning of this chapter, let me take the opportunity to thank you all now. Your feedback really means a lot to me… just thinking that people all over the world are gazing on these words of mine is exciting! Please continue putting up with me… this fanfic is going to be a beast and a half… probably longer than the last one, from the way things are looking… hehe… my apologies for not posting more. Life is keeping me busy, so again, before I start making 20 billion excuses, thanks for continuing to devote your time to reading this. Thanks again, and I sincerely hope I will keep you all with me as I continue writing! ^_^


	6. Chapter 6: Request

A/N: My reviewers were good to me. Very good. Seven reviews in less than two days is spectacular! It was like Christmas, only better. I did a happy dance and went about my business. And then, it was Friday, and I realized I hadn't edited this chapter yet. Kind of a filler in my opinion, but meh… I think that since I've given you guys a heavy dose of stuff to think about, you need a little break. Please don't yell at me if this chapter isn't adequate… my brain is so fried… at any rate, I do hope you all find some enjoyment in it. So, without further ado, I give you the sixth installment!

Another Brief Note: Oh, my GOSH! I just realized that tomorrow is the one-year anniversary of KTT's posting! That's right... on December 20, 2007, the adventure began, and I'm happy to still have so many of you with me! It has been a long year, a grueling year, a paper-filled, psychotically academic, sick (and I mean disease, not awesome), sick (and now, I do mean awesome) year. I've made some friends (hopefully, no enemies) and have had the honor of being read all over the world. To those of you who have stuck with it and made it this far, thank you so much! Let's make it another great year!

* * *

_Chapter 6: Request_

The whole evening at the infirmary, Haru donned a mask of weary composure, and for the most part, she had fooled everyone: Ichigo, Renji, Rukia, even her own brother, who had known her longer than everyone present, and Hajime, whose ability to pick up abnormal patterns in reiatsu was frighteningly accurate. But there was one person she didn't fool, one person that saw straight through it the same way she saw through his own stoic features, down to the sentiments and passions coursing beneath his flesh. Still, he left the matter unspoken as they walked in silence down the empty street hand in hand with the moon as their only witness. "You didn't have to wait for me," Haru murmured.

"I wanted to."

"Nande?"

"Isn't it obvious?" That was all the further their discussion got, but Byakuya felt Haru's hand tighten around his own, a trigger that, in his mind, told of the things she left untold. Only after they had returned to his manor, consumed a light dinner, and went their separate ways to bathe did he truly consider it. When he sat behind her after returning to his chambers, musing over where he could rest his hands and avoid causing her pain, it became even clearer. Despite her exhaustion, Haru would not be sleeping for a long time, not until she took off the mask and revealed what plagued her. With a futile sigh, he let his hand fall away, deterred further by her lack of responsiveness.

"Byakuya-sama," she said at last in a tone that pulled at his heartstrings with unfathomable force. "It is all right. I will endure the pain of your touch, so please… do not hold back." Sensing his hesitance, Haru peered at him with one eye whose vibrancy was overcast with an unusual manner of placidity. He saw a slight movement; the hand on her knee clenched into a fist, and Haru briskly turned away from him again, or at least she would have had Byakuya's hand had not hastily grabbed her chin. Rebellion goaded her to throw her gaze somewhere, anywhere but on him, but there came a time when avoiding his gaze would do no good. The tears already adorned her cheeks.

"Why are you…"

"I can't… I just can't…" She tried to bow her head, but the power in his hand far surpassed her power of will.

"Tell me," Byakuya ordered, his tone stern but his eyes gentle.

"Iie."

"You are so obstinate. I have ways of making you speak, Haru-kun. You know that and yet you still…"

"Don't make me say it… onegai…"

"Crying will not benefit your body. It is better to speak, so the emotions do not wear you down any more than you already have."

"And if you were in my position, would you cry, too?" she demanded, her violet eyes becoming vehement in an instant. Startled at her rebellion, Byakuya's sapphire eyes widened slightly, his brows arching in surprise as the silence outlived its duration. "Well, would you?"

"It is hard to say what I would do in the situation. Still, I am quite certain that hiding will not benefit your health in the least. You cannot get well if you cannot sleep, and you cannot work if you cannot get well. It is therefore in your best interest to speak rather than hold your tongue." Haru shut her eyes to hide from him, but she felt the irritated tremor that worked through his hand. Her refuge was only temporary and not real in any physical sense. Still, she didn't want to show him vulnerability, so she kept her eyes shut for a moment longer, battling her own temptations to release her caged emotions while the faint traces of pain worked through her body. Her fists clutched the sleeping kimono as she gritted her teeth and tried to bow her head. It was kept from falling forward by Byakuya's steady hand, which comforted in its usual demanding nature.

The breath that escaped her lips was meant to be a sigh, but a sob escaped instead, and with that, she forgot everything about restraint. Haru threw herself at his shoulder, burying her face in it as her emotions broke entirely free, and Byakuya, bewildered at the magnitude of her troubles, could only wrap his arms around her. She took two shaky fistfuls of his attire and forgot the world as she vented the sentiments inside her as quietly as she could bear, but silence stayed away that night as long as she cried. In the otherwise silent room, they seemed that much louder. "Ichigo… I was afraid of him when he was like that, so afraid of what he might do, that I just… I acted without much thought! He didn't recognize me at all, and the moment I lost sight of him, I… I tried to kill him! I couldn't see him anymore, the Ichigo I knew in life… he was consumed by that damn hollow inside of him, by the very powers of his mask! Such a wretched fate… why should he have to suffer? Why should I have to be afraid of him? I can't… I can't live with that!"

As the painful words poured from her mouth, Byakuya pressed one hand against the back of her head, which remained stationary despite the inviting softness of her hair. His mind was preoccupied with only one thing: the suffering she felt, and as she vented it against his shoulder as loud as she dared, Byakuya's eyes fell entirely shut. His hold became tighter, drawing one pained whimper from amongst the steady stream of incoherent sobs, but he paid it no attention. Soon, she became too exhausted to cry, so she rested against his shoulder, breathing as the tears continued to stream down her cheeks and the guilt continued to eat away at her eyes. "Haru-kun, I… I am the reason you must suffer this."

"Nonsense."

"Iie," he answered. "If you knew what measures I took to ensure Rukia's execution, then perhaps you would think otherwise, but clearly, that is a part of the story the quincy failed to tell you." He opened his mouth to expound upon his various faults, but one finger pressed against his lips, silencing the words before they were even spoken. His midnight eyes moved downward, widening in surprise when they found Haru's own in the dark, shimmering with tears she had yet to shed.

"Honestly, stop degrading yourself to lighten my mood. You are a better man than that." He would have taken further action if Haru had just given him a sign, but it seemed just holding her was enough. She soon lowered her finger and curled against his shoulder, allowing her eyes to fall shut and cringing. A gentle hand moved along her spine, drawing from her a slight whimper that did not have its feet firmly planted in sorrow. "Byakuya-sama… onegai…" He did not allow her to finish; the moment his fingers began moving again, Haru threw herself at his shoulder with surprising force. He couldn't believe how much strength she still had despite her condition, how much power was in her fingers as they closed around his sleeping kimono and quivered with every movement he made.

"Haru-kun, I have a question to ask you. Can you answer it?"

"I will… do what I can," she managed, casting one violet eye at him. The startling absence of his hand on her back drew a sort of disappointment into her face. Soon, it returned to her cheek, brushing the remaining tears away with feather light touches that caused her face to flare.

"Tell me… if you are afraid of him, why do you protect him?" Haru shut her eyes and leaned against his hand, then opened her eyes again to reveal two content violet orbs.

"I suppose… I see much of myself in Ichigo."

"You are nothing like him."

"And yet we share the same curse on some level. We both know what it feels like to have no true sense of belonging. While I was alive, I felt distant from humans, and I had no interest in my family whatsoever. When I came here, I found out what it was like to belong somewhere for the first time. Ichigo had that with his friends when he became a shinigami, but after that… I am not so sure." Byakuya's fingers twitched as Haru's raced across them, pressing his hand firmly against the side of her face as she leaned further into his touch. "You know of the injustices my family has done me in the past, and the threat of injustice Seireitei implemented in the days before I became a shinigami here. If my desire is to protect Ichigo, I only wish to protect him from that and from doing something he may regret." A subtle vibration in Byakuya's reiatsu drew her eyes upward, and finding the nobleman looking so sour, Haru couldn't help but grin in amusement since he seldom showed such a strong emotion. "Nani? Are you jealous?" He cast his eyes away and silently declined to answer. He didn't move until he felt Haru's lips press against the side of his neck, drawing an involuntary hiss from his lungs as he debated on whether or not to relish or recoil from her gesture. "Protecting Ichigo is duty considering the similarities in our circumstances, but protecting you is choice, Kuchiki Byakuya."

"I was not aware I needed protecting," he answered. "Tell me, what is it you seek to protect me from?" She moved away from him, folding her hands in her lap and staring directly into his eyes. Her own eyes were as they had always been, a shimmering cocktail of silver and violet that blended together in perfect unity. They were the place the faint light of the moon and stars rushed to, the celestial mirrors that reflected her deepest sentiments. In that moment, Byakuya swore she had never seen them look so endearing and yet so determined.

"Solitude," Haru responded. "And if I can do just that, then my job is done." He considered her answer for a moment, then gifted her with a smile of approval before lowering her gently into a laying position and collapsing at her side. Haru looked bewildered until Byakuya glanced briefly towards her; his eyes bore an order of sleep, and once she curled against his chest, it was quick in coming.

* * *

"Are you sleeping well, Ichigo?" The orange-haired substitute rubbed the rest of sleep away from his eyes and cast them towards the speaker. Haru sat next to the window, gazing at the distance absently while she spoke. "How soon will they let you go?"

"Hell if I know. No one's really telling me much of anything."

"Souka…" she murmured, her voice just as absent.

"Why're you here, anyway? Don't you have to work or something?"

"I may or may not have snuck off." That meant she had, undoubtedly. Folding her arms, Haru tilted her head back and smiled at the ceiling. "I made some excuse about business and left before Abarai-fukutaichou or Kuchiki-taichou could interrogate me. Anyway, I should have some time before they start looking for me at least, so I came to check up on you."

"It's only been two days!"

"And as you can see, I am up and walking, while you are still stuck in that bed of yours." Crossing his arms, Ichigo gave an irate sigh and turned his eyes towards the door since Haru was blocking the window. Briefly, he glanced back and caught sight of the bandages around her neck, which sent his eyes sulking guiltily back to his corner. "I did not even miss a day of work, yet you have lost nearly forty-eight hours of time you could be making some use of."

"Yeah? How?" Haru seemed absorbed by some other matter, one that burdened her far more than Ichigo did, so he fell silent until her eyes moved to his. "Are you… in trouble for what you did?" he asked hesitantly.

"More than you can imagine."

"If Byakuya's being hard on you, I'll kick his ass."

"In your condition, I doubt you could." Ichigo scowled again, his brow twitching with irritation. "Rest assured, if he was being too hard on me, I would crack his damn skull wide open, which I may wind up doing anyway…"

"Nani?"

"Well," Haru said, smiling in a manner that did not at all suit her mood. "As penitence for my secrecy and the unauthorized use of bankai, Kuchiki-taichou has challenged me to a duel."

"Eh?" Ichigo responded. "You serious?"

"I am always serious, Ichigo," she responded, folding one knee over the other and crossing her arms. "Such a troublesome man, and only two days after fighting you…"

"Ain't that a little harsh?"

"Considering I would lose my position in the sixth squad otherwise, no." Flinging her arms back, Haru adjusted the glasses on her nose slightly before placing her hands in her lap. "You see, he made it a gamble on purpose so I would put forth the extra effort… damn troublesome is what it is. He knows how I loathe being made the center of attention, just as he knows my desire is to observe and uphold his authority rather than overturn it in some fight." With a sigh, she dropped her head, but her smile soon returned, full of acceptance and determination. "Still, that is only the half of it… the order has come down from Soutaichou-sama that I have been assigned to help Hitsugaya-taichou handle the fifth division's paperwork starting next week. It's such a pain… working for two divisions at the same time…" Haru peered up at him, examining Ichigo in silence before smiling reassuringly. "Oh, you needn't worry about me. Somehow, this body of mine is keeping up with everything."

"Haru…"

"I absolutely will not hear an apology," she retorted.

"I wasn't going to apologize!" he shouted, but realizing the harshness in his voice, he stared at his hands in shame. Still, Haru was smiling, so he must not have offended her. "I just… how are your wounds healing?"

"You never got a full catalogue, did you?" Nodding his head, Haru cleared her throat and began, but with each injury she listed, Ichigo became more and more despondent. "A severe laceration to the right shoulder, a mildly severe laceration in the left hip, two puncture wounds in the neck, various minor bruises and cuts, namely on my back and limbs respectively, and you managed to crack one of my ribs again." A trace of expectancy wavered through the air, and Ichigo's eyes obediently returned to hers. Sure enough, Haru was still smiling. "You certainly are full of fight, aren't you?"

"It's nothing to be proud of."

"Nonetheless, you may as well accept it. Fighting is what you and I will do for the rest of our lives. We will battle for acceptance, freedom, and for those things we hold dearest. Such is our fate."

"I told you, I don't believe in any of that fate stuff."

"Say what you will. Whether it is fate or not, my words are true. We must fight for what we have because we are different. We must fight to hold onto what we have so society cannot rob us of the few precious things we possess. And we must fight harder than everyone else, because there are forces out there that seek to destroy us above all else." That final part was spoken with such gravity that Ichigo could find no words to reply with. Haru tipped her head upward, gazing solemnly at the ceiling. All traces of her smile had vanished, and a playful gust of wind entering the window caught the two loose tresses framing her face, whirling them about in a disorderly manner. Slowly, her hand moved to her neck, touching the bandages that for some reason felt coarse at the moment. A sigh disrupted her thoughts, and when she glanced back to Ichigo, she found him staring at his lap, his chocolate eyes swimming with remorse. He didn't glance up until he felt a weight on the bed beside him. Haru was facing away from him but glancing over her shoulder so one eye was visible, and it was so vibrant with a smile that he could only gape in awe over her swift change in mood. "These wounds… the pain reminds me to be strong. If I am not strong, then I cannot protect you."

"I don't need protecting."

"Not yet, but in the days that follow, you will. That is why… I must ask you a favor, Ichigo." He wondered whether or not she had stopped smiling, for her eyes looked rather serious and hesitant at the words. Still, he felt it was safe to assume that she mood was still light and uplifted. "I would like you… to fight with me." A moment of silence passed, in which his expression became more stunned and curious than awed.

"Eh… nani?"

"I have never asked anyone what I have just asked you, but I feel both our lots can be made better through an alliance. If you fight with me, then I will return the favor should you ever be in need of my aid. That, I promise you by my pride as a shinigami." To show her intent on doing so, she bowed her head slightly, raising her head so one tress parted to reveal her eye again. "I need your strength, Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Haru…"

"Do not answer me until you have thought it over," she answered, rising with a rapidity that left him just as astounded had her smile. "I entrust that your wounds are recovering well? You will need you strength for what lies ahead, Kurosaki Ichigo." For some reason, he didn't particularly care for her tone, probably because she sounded so certain of what his future held, but before he could object, she was gone the same way she came, straight out the window. Despite the two-story drop, she landed on her feet, falling into a crouch to ease the strain on her right ankle. Then, she pulled the top of her haori close to her neck and began pacing slowly away, aware that Ichigo's eyes followed every step she took. She was more preoccupied with her own future, the one that lay just ahead of her. _You're such a royal pain, _she thought, sighing heavily once the infirmary was no longer in sight. _Calling me out, and with an audience to boot… I swear, sometimes I wonder if there is any end to your troublesomeness, but then again, that is what makes life fun. _

_Haru-sama._

_I am listening, Suzaku,_ she responded, casting her eyes skyward.

_Are you certain you wish to go through with this? I mean… you don't have to fight him._

_True, but I would rather willfully rid myself of the sixth division than stand by and be cast aside. There is no honor in allowing him to do as he pleases with me._

_Demo…_

_If you fear for my well-being, then please do not fail me, Suzaku. _Haru pressed a hand against her sword, not to utilize it in any way but to comfort it. She could almost see the blue eyes gazing at her, misty with tears of concern. _The day is mine, Suzaku. The victory belongs to me before I have even begun, because just by giving me a chance to save my place in the sixth division, Byakuya-sama is displaying his desire to keep me here. It makes me… happy. _Haru touched the bandages around her neck, finding them smooth this time despite the dull ache working through her wounds. _There are so many things I wish I could tell him, but orders are orders. I shall have to keep quiet for now, until something drastic happens._

_Haru-sama._

_Nandesuka? _Haru asked, raising her eyes to the sun. There lay only silence between them, but her steps ceased as she peered at the sky, blocking the light with her arm as the wind blew about her.

_You really are… strong enough to surpass the sun. Those wings of yours will take you places._

_So long as yours accompany them, I will go anywhere, Suzaku. _She felt a slight vibration in her sword, which she held tighter when the prospect of fighting Byakuya crossed her mind again. Something told her he wouldn't go easy on her, for in the two days since her encounter with Ichigo, she detected above all else a veiled frustration bubbling within him. It was very likely Byakuya wasn't aware of it himself. Nevertheless, Haru felt it at night when his heart palpitated against her ear and in the breaths that brushed against the top of her head. _I could not ask him about it… I doubt he would tell me, not with all those people around. _With the recollection of their fight and its spectators, Haru felt even more ill at ease. A sharp pain shot across her back, forcing her to shove her hand against the wall and bow her head. Already, she felt the cold sweat beading up on her forehead and the tremor working through her knees. "Damn it… not now…"

In an attempt to resist the pain, Haru turned her back against the wall and pressed against it, biting her bottom lip with every aching ebb that worked through her flesh. She slid into a sitting position, bowing her head and placing it between her knees while she gasped for breath. _Kuso… this is no good… how can he expect me to fight like this? He cannot be serious… _ But Haru knew deep down that he was, for Kuchiki Byakuya seldom joked, especially about such a serious matter. With a heavy sigh, Haru moved her left arm so the cross hung in her view. It peered at her through the haze coating her glasses, winking as it caught the sun. Even though it was broken, there was no trace of defeat in the light that came to touch it; instead, all was transformed to triumphant pride, but it vanished in a moment. Startled, Haru raised her head from her lap and peered up at the shadow blocking her sun. She couldn't see him properly until she removed her glasses, and seeing who it was, she immediately, looked away with a half-hearted smile.

"Haru-sama…"

"Why are you here, Takumi-san?" Bewildered at her lack of decorum, he gazed down at her with a mixture of concern and contempt, not knowing what to make of it until she peered back at him. The fear in her eyes came so close to tangible that he could almost wrap his hands around it, yet he knew that same fear was in his eyes, too, as he gaze down at her. "What is it? You look worried."

"Haru-sama, I…" He clenched his fist with determination and swallowed the lump in his throat so that his mere presence stopped Haru's hand, which was habitually polishing her glasses. In an instant, he was on his knees, his forehead pressed to the ground in a display of pure submission. Startled, Haru arched a brow at this uncanny gesture, doubting her own sanity to think Takumi was bowing before her so deeply. "It has to be you… it has to be you… you, and no one else, Haru-sama." She said nothing because she was too bewildered to speak; she had no idea what to make of his words since his eyes were glued to the ground and covered by a curtain of blonde hair. As soon as she found some words to give him, Takumi raised his head again, his eyes beseeching her in volumes beyond that which his voice did. "Onegai…" he said quietly.

"Takumi-san, I don't know what you're talking about, but I really think you should know…"

"Know? I already know. I have known for two days and refused to say anything."

"Then you should know what you're asking me is impossible. Byakuya-sama is…"

"This has nothing to do with him," Takumi interrupted his clear blue eyes growing sour. "He's not the one I'm asking; you are, and I decided a long time ago it had to be you." Before she carried her own implications any further, Haru decided to let him speak. She could feel the bewilderment in her face and forgot about her pain, especially when those eyes disappeared again. For the second time, he pressed his hands against the pavement, lowering his forehead until it lingered just above the street, and told the ground his desire loudly enough so Haru could hear it. "Make me your vice captain…" When Haru said nothing, when she didn't even stir, Takumi's head rose high enough so he could peer at her. "Onegai," he said, his voice full of desperation.

Something strange lingered in the silence after his words, and Haru couldn't label it at first, until she really analyzed the azure in his eyes. He was ashamed of his own words, ashamed and afraid of rejection. For some reason, it amused her that someone who acted as tough as Takumi generally did could show such an expression. The bewilderment melted to a smile by degrees, a familiar placidity overtook her weary gaze, and he gazed at her through his bangs in complete awe.

"Takumi-san, please… raise your head." Hesitantly, he obeyed her request until he was sitting before her with rigid propriety. His feet were neatly tucked under him, a stark contrast to Haru, whose arms rested across her parted knees as she leaned against the stone wall at her back. "For starters, I cannot grant you that because I am not a captain…"

"Haru-sama, I…"

"And secondly, you should not be so willing to leave the sixth division, as your place here is relatively high as it is."

"Demo…"

"If I were a captain, why would I choose you as my vice captain? Quite honestly, you have no respect for your superiors."

"That isn't true!" he shouted, but realizing his volume, his eyes fell shamefully to the ground. "It's just him I have a problem with. He acts so damn high and mighty, like his blood makes the freaking world turn or something. Besides, I've respected you ever since that day…" Haru knew what day he referred to without him speaking directly of it. A few vivid memories flashed through her head, a familiar pain entered her shoulder, and there was Takumi in the midst of it, grinning and patting her head, threatening to beat Byakuya up just because he had made her cry. "And ever since then, I've known the only captain I would ever truly follow with heart and soul was you, so please… even though my request is foolish, please make me your vice captain."

"Takumi-san, as much as I would love to grant you your wish, I am afraid it is out of my power at the moment. I am not the captain you think I am. I am roku bantai sanseki, and I will be for quite some time…"

"Haru-sama, you can't lie to me. I know the truth."

"Your truth is a delusion," she answered. "Now, I am afraid I have business with Kuchiki-taichou. I cannot deal with any other matter until this one is finished." Haru started to rise, but his hand wrapped around her arm, jolting her back into reality. He was still kneeling at her feet, gazing up at her with a fretful expression that she wasn't sure what to make of. Takumi's blue eyes disappeared again despite his grasp. "Nani? Are you to afraid to look me in the eye, or are you just too ashamed?"

"Haru-sama, there… there is a reason I'm asking you for this, one that goes far beyond my respect for you, but I can't tell you yet."

"How many times must I tell you, I cannot do what you ask of me because I am not captain?"

"You are a captain. I know you are. The way you acted that night at the fourth division… you were handing out orders. You even gave orders to Byakuya. Don't think I didn't hear you."

"You… you were standing at the door eavesdropping?" she demanded, fury springing to her eyes. "Just how long were you there?"

"Moushiwake arimasen." The formalness and distance in his voice stung, but Haru still allowed him to keep a grip on her wrist. Then, the thought suddenly crossed her mind that he was trying to erect a wall, a line of some sort, a division between them. That, she could not let happen. She covered his hand with her other and helped him to his feet, staring up at him since he was nearly a full head taller than she was. Startled, he quickly bowed his head again to hide his eyes, but it didn't work due to their difference in height.

"Hey, don't be so formal, all right?" she said gently. "Forgive my anger. It is my fault for conducting private business in public. I had a large enough audience inside Ichigo's room; one more isn't going to hurt." The smile on his face was faint and half-hearted. "I wish I could ask you what was going on, but I know you aren't going to answer me yet, so I shall refrain from doing so. I do have one request, though."

"Name your will, Haru-sama, and I will see it done."

"Then please accompany to the sixth division headquarters." Haru saw the hesitance in his eyes even though his posture remained rigid and his arms were at his sides. "Is there a problem?"

"Just that… if you fight in that condition, I don't think you stand much of a chance."

"Unfortunately, I have no other choice. Kuchiki-taichou has made things rather clear: if I do not perform well enough to fulfill his standards, then I will be removed from the sixth division. A demotion will likely accompany my removal, and that I can live with. What I cannot stand is losing the place I worked so hard to make for myself just because he may be a little frustrated. Of all men, I thought Byakuya-sama least likely to bring personal conflict into the workplace." She folded her arms across her chest and bowed her head momentarily in thought, but when she felt Takumi's grin, her eyes snapped back to his face. He didn't even bother hiding it. "Are you amused?"

"Yeah, a little."

"What by?"

"The fact that Byakuya can be frustrated."

"Then you watch him while he fights me, and tell me what you see in his movements after we are finished."

"Hai, taichou."

"What was that?" she asked sternly.

"I… meant Haru-sama." Sighing heavily, Haru turned and continued her walk with Takumi following in her shadow, matching her slow pace step for step.

"Honestly, if you start calling me that, you will make him suspicious."

"But there's nothing for him to get suspicious over if you aren't really a captain."

"A valid point," Haru stated, smiling at no one in particular. "Even if I am not a captain, I must face one in battle today, for better or worse."

"Are you certain you should be fighting in your condition, Haru-sama?"

"Not really, but what else can I do? Kuchiki-taichou has insisted on facing me today, and if I fail to fulfill his request, I will be thrown out of the sixth division. Such dishonor does not suit my tastes, so I shall fight to keep my place." She detected Takumi's lack of understanding and heaved a sigh, trying vainly to come up with some sort of analogy from which he could gather her meaning. As weary as she was, Haru considered it a miracle she could still walk, let alone think. "This time with him is precious because it is finite, Takumi-san. I fear fate has far greater things in mind for me, things beyond the scope of comprehension."

"That so?"

"It is," Haru responded, bowing her head slightly beneath the weight of her solemnity. When a hand fell against her shoulder, she flinched and stopped walking even though she knew who put it there.

"You don't have to face it alone, you know. Byakuya may not be able to help you because he's got his own obligations, but I can."

"Why are you offering me such things, Takumi-san?"

"Simple enough. If you're my captain, I have to protect you."

"And it's notions like that… that will only end with me cracking your skull open," she retorted, pulling away and continuing at a brisker pace. Still, her second shadow persisted, his smirk burning into the back of her head. When she stopped again, Takumi remembered to do the same to avoid bumping into her. A brisk wind flew about her, embracing the ends of her hair and her sash and lifting them into the air. Above them, the clouds moved sluggishly through the sky. Haru's mind began to work again, crawling like those white masses overhead, then returning to its typical rate of thinking. After the battle, the matter of Ichigo was undoubtedly her priority, and if it wasn't for the fact that she had been assigned to help Hitsugaya with the fifth division's paperwork, she would have actually possessed the time necessary to deal with him. Discouraged, Haru allowed a sigh to escape her parted lips. Her hands sought one another and folded directly before her as she raised her head to the airy sea overhead. No, Ichigo was a burden she couldn't share, but there were some that could be lightened if she only extended her faith and trust. "Takumi."

"Hai?"

"Arigato," she responded, and she continued along her way with him following behind with more bewilderment than he initially possessed. Hope drew him forward, hope that, since she hadn't said no, he would finally find a place to put his zanpakutoh to proper use.

"Haru-sama, may I ask you something?"

"If I said no, you would ask anyway."

"That's not very fair," he retorted, crossing his arms with a false huff of offense. Haru smirked at him over her shoulder and continued walking. "Just curious… if you ever became a captain, what would you do?"

"What if I don't want to answer?"

"I never said you had to. Besides, it isn't proper for me to give my superiors orders." Haru considered the question for a moment, finding that it only made several questions rise in her mind.

"Perhaps if you explained yourself a little better, I could adequately answer it."

"Well, I've heard it said that every captain does something a little outlandish before their first official day of work. You know, something out of the ordinary."

"Like what?"

"Well, Zaraki-taichou got that weird-ass hair do, and it kind of stuck. Kyoraku-taichou wore that pink, flowery haori as a kind of joke, and he's still wearing the damn thing. Ukitake-taichou took his hair down, and he hasn't worn it back since as far as I know. It's something they didn't usually do, but it doesn't always stick as far as I know. I think Yamamoto-soutaichou shaved his beard, which he hasn't done for heaven only knows how long."

"Does it have to be something revolving around personal appearance?"

"Iie. I heard Hitsugaya-taichou tried sake for the first time and wound up getting drunk."

"I can't imagine that happening," Haru replied, laughing quietly behind her hand at the mere thought. "So you're asking me what I would do to celebrate my promotion? Well, I never really knew such a tradition existed, but I knew from the very minute you started speaking what I would do." Takumi leaned forward slightly, expecting an answer that never came, nor did she have time to give one other than a smile. Their arrival came swifter than he thought; they were standing in the middle of a familiar training ground he had been to during his time at the academy. The field was surrounded by the seated of the sixth division who were talking amongst each other. It wasn't difficult to spot Renji, who was standing obediently near his captain and being unusually quiet.

"Haru-sama?" Takumi inquired, noticing the change that slowly came over her.

"Nande?" she said woefully. "Why did it have to be in front of an audience?"

"Why should an audience change things? Just fight him the same way you always do."

"But you don't understand…" Haru found herself facing the very dilemma she had been afraid of every time she sparred with her host, only this time, the matter was more serious than usual. If she defeated him in front of people, he would almost certainly never forgive her, but her pride stood to be affronted just as badly as his if she did not deal him some form of defeat. She wavered back and forth, leaning left when she favored her own pride and right when she favored his. In the midst of her swaying, she felt the burning gaze of her captain graze her, and she immediately stood as rigid as a soldier. A numbing determination swept through her veins, making her forget every trace of weariness and pain that plagued her. From the corner of her eye, she noticed her brother approaching, looking rather out of place in his white uniform. "Ishi-nii, what are you…"

"Abarai filled me in. Is this why you've been avoiding me?"

"That was not my attention, I can assure you," she responded, her tone and eyes both earnest. "It is difficult to find time for much of anything considering my current circumstances. I am his third seat, and he keeps me busy as he should."

"Yet I find it rather peculiar that neither you nor Byakuya-san mentioned anything about this little bargain of yours."

"It was his idea," she retorted. "Who am I to refuse?"

"If you fight in that condition, you're going to wind up right back in the infirmary! Do you honestly want that considering your insistence on taking care of this matter concerning Kurosaki? You can't afford to lose time right now!" Beneath the sharp words, Haru bowed her head, hiding her eyes from view and clenching her first as her mind wavered. Takumi opened his mouth to speak, then shut it after deciding it wasn't his place to speak for her. He tapped her shoulder as a gesture of good luck and retreated, leaving Haru alone with the quincy, who gave a difficult sigh and peered off to the side. "Forgive me. My harshness is unjustified."

"Had I any other options, I would gladly utilize them, but as the matter stands, my only chance of retaining my position is that which you see before you." To emphasize her point, Haru raised her head to the sky and tilted her palms upward. The warm embrace of the sun's rays eased her pains and anxieties, and for a brief moment, all her troubles burned away. A chilly wind, brisk in its search for knavery, whirled about them, causing Ishida to shield his eyes, but Haru was unaffected by the cold. She smiled with unsettling placidity at its touch. "Hai… the conditions are just right. Today, I will bleed for my devotion to this division, and I will win."

"Haru-sama…" he stammered, but he wasn't given the opportunity to say anything more. She seized his hand and, removing her glasses, placed them into his palm before closing her hand around his.

"Will you please hold onto these for me?" Unable to do anything else but fulfill her request, Ishida nodded his head. The warmth of her hand disappeared, closing around her zanpakutoh as she crossed the grass. There was no trace of hesitance in her steps, not even when she felt his eyes and all others on her, nor did she cast them away when they collided with her own. She stopped several feet from him, glancing briefly at Renji and nodding once to request his withdraw. Happy to be rid of his captain for a few moments, he joined the other seated officers and the quincy at the sidelines, their only witnesses to the match. Stillness fell over each of them, an anticipation that the storm was finally coming to a head. The sparks of tension between the third seat and the captain were nearly tangible, but they subsided with Haru's request, inaudible to the observers but loud enough for Byakuya to hear. "May I ask you something?" He answered with his eyes, a hardened look that failed to dissuade her inquiry. "As you already know, I passed the captain's exam with a score surpassing yours."

"What of it?"

"My knowledge of the law may not match your own, but I do know the consequences of releasing bankai without the proper authorization. I even made it a point to cross-reference it with several other volumes, yet all reported remotely similar protocol on dealing with a first-time offense, and none of them were nearly as severe as the consequence which you are imposing on me."

"Your point," he said, his tone stirring with impatience.

"Why?" she murmured. "Why is it that you're going so far as to threaten me? Why are you trying to take away this precious thing I have?" The expression on his face never changed, but Haru could detect the obvious offense he took at her question, as if she was expected to know the answer herself. Discouraged at his silence, Haru bowed her head for a moment, wavering on the cusp of tears and clenching her hand around her zanpakutoh until her knuckles turned white. In a tone that betrayed her inner fears, she continued. "Fine. I will earn my answer, if that is what you wish." Haru didn't dare look up despite her thirst for a glimpse of those midnight eyes. She wanted… no, she needed to know the cause of his harshness. _What is it? What would drive him to this? He knows I am injured and no match for him. He knows all my weak points: my shoulder, my hip, my right ankle… is he jealous? Is he angry? What…_

Her thoughts were cut off abruptly when the air around her shifted. Sensing his approach, Haru threw herself aside to avoid his blade, which came mere inches from the ground before turning and hooking in her direction. By some fortune, it missed her by a small margin, its tip coming within inches of her nose. While it was still ascending, Haru pulled her own sword from her obi, watching the point of his blade as it sped towards her again. As was the case with his first strike, Haru evaded by moving to her left and swung her sword, still sheathed, towards his hip. Detecting her offensive maneuver, he flashed out of sight and landed a short distance away, observing Haru with what seemed to be a mild form of amusement. "I do not believe I have ever seen you swing a sword with such vigor," he stated, knitting his brows together when she grasped the handle with both hands and took up a ready stance. "Your doubts, your fears, your misgivings… I can see them." Her expression grew fierce until Byakuya vanished from sight, reappearing at her side to deliver an upward cut, but she withdrew from his blade's grasp, unfazed by his close proximity.

It took every ounce of her concentration to predict his movements, and more often than not, one swing became another. Despite his forward tactics, Haru moved around every single one as if it was as natural as breathing. Her violet eyes searched for an opening in his impenetrable barrage of swings. "It is no use," he said to her as she leapt away. Her thoughts of being safe for the moment were soon dashed, for he followed her motion exactly, placing her gaze in direct line with his. "You will not cut me if you do not draw your sword." Byakuya made his point clearer by swinging his sword. Haru narrowly evaded, but the tip caught the bandages wound around her neck. Her movement and the wind quickly bared the flesh and unveiled the extent of her injuries, the faint bruises and the two spots where Ichigo's nails punctured her skin. She almost covered them but thought better of it. What use was it to cover wounds that were already made? Still, the way Byakuya examined them was unsettling and made her even more uncertain than she already was.

Haru was hesitant to raise her sword again, but by some unspoken word, she did so when Byakuya rushed at her again. Instead of moving back this time, Haru moved forward past the blade and prepared to deliver a strike, a reminder that she was not to be taken lightly, but as she raised her sword, Byakuya seized it with his bare hand, showing her the triumphant flicker of his eyes and preparing to turn his blade towards her again. Her reaction was unexpected. Rather than releasing her sword to withdraw, she leapt off the ground, sailing over his head while keeping a grip on her sheathed zanpakutoh. When she came to land behind him, Haru seized his right wrist while he simultaneously jerked her in his direction. The result was that they stood back to back, Haru gasping for breath while Byakuya calmly analyzed his options. A light laughter interrupted his thoughts, and he peered over his shoulder to find Haru smiling. "Nandesuka?"

"Just being like this…" she murmured, sliding her hand along her zanpakutoh towards his, but he was too preoccupied to notice her movement. "It's so nostalgic."

"I am not sure what you are referring to."

"Don't you remember? We stood like this once before when we fought." His expression remained blank even as the memory flashed before his eyes. There they were again, on Soukyoku hill. It seemed so long ago even though it had only been a few months, but her sudden shift drew him out of his reflection. Byakuya peered over his shoulder again to find Haru's eyes had fallen shut. Enjoyment existed in all her features. "I think I found my answer, Kuchiki-taichou… the answer I was looking for. It is clear to me now." The sensation of something racing over his glove drew his attention, and he was surprised to find Haru's hand had crept over his own. "I understand my secrecy vexes you. I suppose I owe you an apology for that. Still, just because Ichigo has seen it doesn't mean you need to get jealous." That final word snapped him back into battle mentality. He pulled his hand away and nearly took her sword with it as he twisted his other wrist to free himself of her. In that same moment, Haru's index finger found the silver hoop at the top of her zanpakutoh, and hooking her finger through it, they managed to release Suzaku from her sheath through their mutual efforts.

They turned to meet each other, and since Byakuya's swing began falling first, Haru had no choice but to counter it. The force behind her sword was unbelievable; it actually resulted in his blade being thrown away from her own. With that, she decided to withdraw, raising one hand to touch her throbbing right shoulder. Haru looked so fierce and guarded despite her shortness of breath that Byakuya remained where he was, studying her expression as if to question her motives. Then, an idea sprang into her mind, one that ceased her breaths entirely and changed her expression of pain into a smile. "Souka…" she murmured, ramming Suzaku's blade into the earth and placing both hands behind her head.

"Pick up your sword, Haru-kun. We are not finished yet."

"I would not let you off so easily, Kuchiki-taichou. I am merely returning your favor. I know your trick now, and I shall not allow you to take full advantage of it any longer." Having never been addressed in such a way, the Kuchiki felt the stirrings of anger in him, but they were gone the moment he realized what she was doing. After a few more tense moments and an apologetic look cast at her brother, she flung the restraint from her hair, which celebrated its release from prison by falling about her shoulders and along the length of her back. Haru tossed her head a bit to get accustomed to the feeling, allowing herself to relish her freedom for an instant. The sheath in Byakuya's left hand slipped free, hitting the ground softly as Haru plucked her blade from the ground and took up her ready stance. _This is it… this moment will decide everything. It is a dangerous course of action, but still… I have to do it. I have to go on the offensive. At the risk of losing my pride, I may destroy his in the process. Byakuya-sama, please… do not misinterpret my actions._

Haru knew her tactic worked before she even moved. If it hadn't, then she would have been on the ground by that point with nothing but another wound to show for her efforts, but Byakuya allowed her the time she needed without even so much as moving. _Concentrate, _she told herself with a sigh. _Concentrate… _ In the blink of an eye, she was gone, and she reappared in front of Byakuya just as fast, opening her eyes with slow decisiveness. Startled, he swung downward only to watch Haru step aside and use his own force, like his weaknesses, against him. She rammed her blade against his, pressing it deeper into the ground with her full weight while she thrust her knee into his stomach. It only earned her a cough, but it was better than nothing. Even more, his head bowed slightly so their eyes were locked again. She communicated what she couldn't with words in her perpetual stare. Her determination, her will to keep fighting, and her question of the right course of action to take all raced through those violet optics at a speed excelling that of light. She was beyond caring about her body or her well-being. All that mattered was remaining, if even for a short while, in her current position without having to worry about fortune's ebbs and flows.

Feeling the blade shift under her foot, Haru shot backwards, avoiding his sword by some miracle. The movements were beginning to tire her, and she could feel the moisture gathering in the layers of bandages around her right shoulder. She hoped it was merely sweat, but instinct told her it was nothing of the sort. Slowly, her hand moved to her neck, touching the wounds Ichigo gave her. _These wounds… the pain reminds me to be strong. _As her words echoed through her head, she detected Byakuya's movement. The trouble was her lack of an ability to move, for the words kept coursing through her head. _If I am not strong, then I cannot protect you._ Haru was just beginning to realize how far those words stretched. They weren't just spoken for Ichigo. They were spoken for him, for the very man she was fighting, and for everything beyond that.

"A chain with no weak links…" she said, contemplating the meaning of that sentence, but Ishida shouted her name and drew her from her trance. With one flash step, she managed to avoid his sword yet again. She reappeared next to Suzaku's sheath, which she slid her foot under and kicked into her hand. Haru had enough time to give him a reassuring glance of thanks before vanishing again. Byakuya's sword tasted nothing but air, and a moment later, something sharp bit into his side. He threw his glare towards Haru, whose sheathed sword pushed against his hip with enough force to throw him off balance. His attempt at retribution missed as she shot forward again, wincing as the blade scathed her elbow and thrusting the tip of the wooden sword against his stomach in the exact place her knee had fallen only moments before. Then, changing its direction, she brought it down against his shoulder before he could even react. Just as his blade turned towards her again, it met Suzaku, whose sheath remained against his shoulder despite the sword having departed from it. They slid against each other as their wielders battled for dominance, Haru's right arm trembling with effort while Byakuya cleverly adjusted the pressure he was putting on her arm. Those vehement eyes still peered at him through a curtain of nutmeg hair, beseeching him to cease his endeavors.

"I will win."

"You have already lost," Haru answered, biting her lip when the pressure on her sword increased. "You lost when you laid out the terms. You don't want to get rid of me, not yet. If you did, you would have done so a long time ago. You wouldn't have wasted your time looking after me, you wouldn't have wasted your effort getting me into the division, and you certainly wouldn't waste your blows on me if you did not think I was worth every last one."

"Ludicrous."

"Yet you being a madman makes my words quite plausible. In fact, I think I am correct on some level so deep that you are too afraid to admit it." Knowing she struck a nerve, Haru pushed his sword away and darted around him, turning just in time to meet the blade aimed at her neck before it got uncomfortably close. "What is it? What is it that frustrates you so? Ever since my fight with Ichigo, you have looked at me differently, spoken to me differently… is there some reason you are doing so?"

"It does not content me that you waste your promises on him."

"You are foolish for thinking so."

"What makes them any different than the promises you have made me?"

"If you can't figure that out, then you really are hopeless," Haru responded, adjusting her hold on the blade when she suddenly found his pressure decreasing. "Ichigo is a matter of great importance, but the most he can ever be is my friend and comrade in arms. He isn't important to me the way you are." Haru sighed and lowered her sword, waiting for a blow to come that was never put into motion. "I feel as if I am repeating myself. I thought I explained this to you already."

"You are willing to carry his misdeeds and accept his punishments. It is unfair that you should have to do so."

"Such is the world we live in, the world families like yours and mine reign over." Byakuya was slowly forgetting they had an audience. Still, his next words were spoken so quietly, Haru could barely hear them.

"Would you… do the same for me?" A startled look overcame her face, almost as if she wasn't willing to accept his capabilities of doing wrong, yet their sparring match had felt wrong from the beginning because it was driven by all those things Haru had accused him of. Her answer took no consideration, however, for she knew in her heart what she would do.

"Always." His eyes changed a bit when she spoke that word, but otherwise, his features remained the same. "As contrary as you are sometimes, whether I am with this division or not, I will do what I can to make your burdens easier to carry." When Byakuya saw she had no intention of carrying the fight any further, his arm slowly fell to his side. Between them, there was nothing left but respect for one another, and they shared their private moment of understanding with their gazes. He could read it in her eyes just as she could read it in his: they hated leaving things unfinished. Haru smiled at his impatience, and Byakuya, who was far enough away not to risk exposure, flashed her a ghost of one in return. The onlookers were startled when two swords clashed again, and even more so when Haru was shoved backwards. Not willing to give him victory so easily, she darted around the swing that followed, taking great care not to trip or put too much strain on her right ankle.

_Be patient, _Suzaku told her, detecting Haru's impatience. _The moment will come._ The next blow was avoided by dropping into a crouch, and with her left foot, she made a vain attempt to throw Byakuya off balance. To avoid his sword, she had to leap aside. A slow tremor worked through her body as that sword came so close to her cheek. For a moment, she thought the wind had split it open, but finding her face unscathed, Haru contented herself with dancing around his blows for a time. No matter what direction they came from, whether he paused in mid-swing to change the direction of his blade or not, she always seemed to find a way to move around them. The effort was beginning to grow tiring for him, as if Haru hadn't forced him to put forth enough already.

Ishida's eyes followed her the entire time, trying to gauge Haru's condition and the extent of her injuries, but from the way she was fighting, it was difficult to see she was injured at all. "Ishida," Renji said.

"What is it?" he responded without looking away.

"You know what she's thinking, don't ya?"

"Not exactly, but I could wager a guess." He spoke no more concerning the matter and continued following her steps. It wouldn't be long until the victor was decided, for both captain and third seat were weary from their battle. Byakuya, though a man of endurance he was, lost a fragment of his speed with the following strike, and in that moment, Ishida and Haru perceived the exact same thing. Shifting her weight to her right ankle, she shot towards him the moment he began raising his sword again. Not to be caught entirely off guard, Byakuya began taking a downward stroke, but it was never completed. A sharp clang echoed through the still air, shattering the remainder of tension, and a moment later, one sword hit the ground. Before he could perceive it, Haru's blade was at the side of his throat, barely touching the skin. His startled expression drew a smile to her face, for it contained a subtle note of finality that caused her sword to retreat.

Ishida calmly pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, smiling for the triumph Haru gained and at the fact that Renji's jaw had just hit the ground. He glanced discretely down the line of shinigami to find them all in a similar state… all but one. Takumi was grinning ear to ear shamelessly, and he didn't really care who took notice. Calmly, Haru tilted her blade and rested it against her shoulder, relishing the feel of cool breeze as it mingled with the heat of victory. Once her respiration returned to a normal rate, she turned to face Byakuya, who, having retrieved Senbonzakura, had also gone through the trouble of retrieving Suzaku's sheath. Smiling, Haru removed it from his grasp and pushed her sword back into its proper resting place against her left hip, tucked into her obi. "Gomenasai, Kuchiki-taichou."

"What for?"

"What else?" she responded.

"Your apology is unnecessary and unjustified considering the stakes. As you have defeated me, I will allow you to remain my third seat." Haru was surprised at his decorum; that a noble whose pride had just been mortally wounded could so calmly speak with her was beyond belief. An ounce of trouble flitted across her face, drawing Byakuya's brow into a curious arch. "Does it not please you?"

"You let me win."

"Absurd."

"Yet it is true. Face it… you are not ready to throw me out yet. Otherwise, you would have done so long ago." Byakuya conceded her point silently, but catching her motion in his peripheral vision, he turned to study it fully. Haru was bent over with one hand wrapped around her waist, but a curtain of hair concealed her gaze. It suggested a promise of obedience more than her own weary condition, though both were clear to him. He studied her for a few moments before murmuring,

"I should be the one asking for an apology. It was wrong from the start to challenge you in this condition. A fight should never end with the victor bowing."

"Taichou…" she murmured, raising her eyes just enough to see him. Glancing at the hand offered to her, she questioned the appropriateness of taking it until she saw that dormant hunger in his eyes. With the greatest hesitation, she placed her hand in his own, sensing the crimson flush in her cheeks at the haste with which his fingers slid between her own.

"We're going," he said in an audible voice, and in their very nature of being obedient subordinates, they followed him without questioning his grasp on Haru. Nor did they dare breathe a single utterance concerning her victory. She cast one glance over her shoulder at Ishida, who contented himself with the knowledge that they would see each other at dinner and waved farewell before turning towards the manor. Renji caught her eyes briefly, mainly to demand in silence how she had managed such a feat in her condition, and Takumi, who stood directly behind the vice captain, bore a grin of obvious congratulations. At the same time, a glint of askance entered his eyes, which, along with a near disastrous stumble, caused her eyes to return to the direction of their footfall.

* * *

Whew… there. Two chapters in one week… I'm not used to doing that much editing. Excuse me while my eyes crumble to ash and fall out of my head. And I have to go visit relatives tomorrow… anime-hating relatives (actually, they don't even know I'm a fan… that's how far away they live and how often I talk to them… or rather, I'm pretty selective about what I tell them. Hehe…) So, before I go, I'd like to thank all my lovely readers and reviewers, old and new, and I hope you all continue reading and reviewing. To my awesome fans, you are my life force, and I love you all! As a reward for finishing this chapter, I hereby give you a big fat Japanese Lesson!

Nande: Why

Iie: No

Onegai: Please

Nani: What

Souka: I see

Demo: But

Nandesuka: What is it

Kuso: Japanese swear word. Fun, eh? ^_^

Moushiwake arimasen: The uber apology (on the formality scale, that is)

Hai: Yes

Arigato: Thanks

Gomenasai: A semi-formal apology

Thanks again, all! I promise there will be more fluff very shortly. If I don't post again by Christmas, then please do have a merry one!


	7. Chapter 7: Waking

A/N: Dead to the world for two months, Turtlechow miraculously rises out of the grave! Wild applause and such!

Before I continue, someone PMed me about writing a Hitsugaya story a while back. I can't remember who it is because I think at some point I deleted the e-mail. Terribly sorry I didn't get back to you, whoever you are… but we caffeinated writer types tend to get distracted far too easily by shiny objects. PM me again if you still want a response, and again, terribly sorry. ^_^

Now, on with the show…

This is my reward for doing so well today… I wrote a paper, did some stats homework, finished a short story, and wrote a couple of really rough poems. At any rate, the bottom line is I got stuff done, which means I get to have my fun time now. I apologize for the hiatus. This semester is only going to get rougher, so don't expect another chapter any time soon… I'm working like a slave trying to get this portfolio together… I've got a handful of short stories, but I still don't feel like I've written enough. And then there's the actual SEARCHING part of my hunt for grad school… =_=' At any rate, I won't bog you down with the details of my personal life… I'll just be nice and let you get to the sparking chapter of doom! Thanks as always to my lovely reviewers, readers, and… well, anyone who actually waited around long enough to get this far. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

_Chapter 7: Waking_

For the next few days, things were relatively normal for Haru. Sunday, Ichigo was released from the infirmary, and to her relief, he was no less boisterous than he had been before their battle. Twice, Byakuya threatened to throw him out, and twice, Rukia convinced him to let the brazen teen stay. On the third occasion, Haru had to restrain him, resting both hands over the one wound around his sword and giving him a pleading look that deterred him. Then, there were the complaints about Renji and "the quincy," for despite having a place to return to, Renji continued to stay in the manor, and Ishida was in no way involved with shinigami matters, so he had no right to be there. They were beginning to vex Haru as well. She seldom had a moment alone with Byakuya, let alone to herself, and when they had an audience, he tended to be less open with her, but the visit soon came to an end, giving them enough time to sleep off the relief before a flood of paperwork wound up in the sixth division office.

At Hajime's recommendation, she visited the infirmary every two days or so in spite of the influx. He wanted to make sure her wounds were healing, though he normally asked Isane or Unohana to observe them in his stead. "They are doing very nicely," Unohana murmured one afternoon, tilting her chin up to observe the fading marks on her neck. "If you keep healing at this rate, it is likely you won't scar."

"What a relief," she murmured, touching the marks. "Ichigo will be pleased to hear it."

"I was not aware that Kurosaki-san was still here."

"He isn't; they went back to the real world last week, but I have been in regular contact with him and with Ishi-nii since their return."

"Souka," replied the captain, smiling warmly at Haru's subtly inquisitive gaze. "Byakuya-sama was rather harsh in dealing with you, wasn't he? Assigning you to another division's paperwork…"

"Fortunately, I am used to seeing mountains of forms. Besides, I think I will be a great help to Hitsugaya-taichou when I begin."

"Are you set to soon?"

"In a few days, yes," she answered, setting her feet on the ground with purpose. "If it is all right, would you mind if I spoke to Hajime for a moment? I have something for him." Unohana nodded her ascent and rapidly directed her to the room he was in before claiming she had another patient and disappeared. Left to fend for herself, Haru wandered the hallways, glancing left and right with one arm at her side and the other pressed over her chest. _He should have gotten this a long time ago…_ Once she came to the room, Haru sat outside the door, tucking her knees beneath her and propping her sword against her shoulder. _The week has been quiet… I have put Ichigo in contact with my acquaintances, yet when I call to request progress, they tell me nothing. Apparently, Soul Society hasn't caught wind of him being "missing" yet. _She smiled as she recalled the phone call, Ishida yelling to drown out a vehement Rukia and a concerned Orihime, explaining that Ichigo had just disappeared without so much as a farewell. As much as she wished she could reassure them that he would turn up again, Haru knew it would draw suspicions to her should she utter a single word, so she listened in silence. _I do wonder… how he is doing…_

Then, her mind moved to an entirely different matter, one that caused her to shudder involuntarily. Despite being a dimension apart, she could almost feel his grip dragging her towards his allegiance. _Iie… _she thought firmly. _I will not let myself make that mistake. _The sadistic face flashed in her mind, grinning at the death and misery he had caused. So vivid was the blood that Haru felt herself dragged into the past, where in an instant, she relived both her father's death and her mother's, heard the cold words following her futile attempt on his life.

"That fear in your eyes… yes, your wish is to die, but I will not grant it. You are not even worth the trouble…" In spite of those memories and their vividness, Haru somehow controlled herself and fought the urge to withdraw into a dark corner. She had to calm herself before she did something she regretted, so Haru turned her mind to more bittersweet matters, the funeral where she had met Ishida for the first time. Her father had died almost a year before, and since her mother's occupation was that of a shinigami, she understood death very well. Already, she was beginning to attain that stoic quality which all nobles exercised beneath the public eye. With roughly a dozen pairs of scornful eyes locked on her, Haru's face remained unchanged, and when her mother squeezed her hand, she could sense the anger, the protection, in that simple gesture. They had no right in being at a quincy's funeral, not when they were a shinigami and some half-breed lying between the two. Haru didn't flinch when her mother raised her voice in objection, nor when the various members of the Ishida clan attempted to overpower her with sheer numbers.

At some point, her mother must have let go of her hand. She remembered walking rather clumsily across the floor since she wasn't used to wearing traditional Japanese clothing. For some reason, she was simply drawn to the youngest Ishida, who sat as still as a stone despite the chaos erupting around him. Haru hesitated, then, in her usual moment of boldness, she sat right beside him, closed her eyes, and bent her head in silent prayer. She felt someone peering at her and opened one eye to find him staring quizzically at her. "Is that your grandpa?" she whispered, gesturing to the picture with her gaze before looking back to him. He became teary-eyed at the mere mention of it, even though he wasn't supposed to. Then, he nodded solemnly and muttered something that sounded like an apology. "Want to know what otousan always used to say?" He didn't say anything, but Haru, in her very childlike nature, took his silence as an affirmative. "He said it was okay to cry at funerals because when people lose things precious to them, they're supposed to cry."

"Have you…" He bit off his question, moving his glasses to wipe his eyes and sniffling before finishing his sentence. "Have you… ever cried at a funeral?" Haru nodded her head as she turned back to the picture. The adults couldn't hear them; they were still too busy arguing.

"When otousan died, okasan cried for a long time, but I did almost all my crying when I saw him die." A puzzled look crossed his face, almost as if seeing death was an inconceivable thing for someone their age.

"What… what was it like?"

"Scary," Haru replied, then she swiftly added, "But I'm not supposed to say that. Gomenasai…"

"Iie… daijoubu." Ishida bowed his head to pray again and Haru followed suit, but this time, it was Haru who observed and Ishida who caught her. "Why are you looking at me?"

"I really like your glasses."

"What, these?" he asked, pressing them up the bridge of his nose.

"Yeah, they're really cool," Haru replied, her eyes growing more eager.

"But other kids say they make me look weird."

"Well, maybe other kids have no taste. I think they suit you," she responded firmly. "Besides, I think your grandpa would want you to take pride in them, don't you?" It was so uncanny for anyone to smile at a funeral that when Haru's placid expression broke into a grin, he could only gape for a few moments before joining her. It was a brief moment of calm amidst a storm of fighting, one that seemed to last forever before they both turned forward. "What's your name?"

"Ishida Uryuu. What about you?" Haru motioned him to lean closer, and after she was presented his ear to whisper into, she proceeded to provide him with what he requested.

"Don't tell anyone, but I actually have two names."

"Two?" he echoed.

"Hai… I used to be Yamashita Haru, but okasan says I have to be Tokazawa Miharu now because that other name is dangerous." He drew back and gave her that same bewildered look, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose again as if he hadn't quite grown into them yet.

"Then you're… from the Yamashita clan?"

"Not really. Otousan fought with ojii-sama before he died, so they decided I wasn't really part of it. But they give us money every month… adults are really confusing."

"Agreed," he responded. They were still arguing, as if they had no respect for the deceased or his memory. Haru glared at them and shook her head in dismay.

"I don't see why they always have to fight." Frowning, Ishida tried to put their vociferous arguing from his mind and reached out to touch the pattern on her kimono's sleeve. Instead of drawing away as she normally did, she allowed this brief contact.

"That kimono… do you know who sewed it?" Haru shook her head in response. "It's really pretty." That addition made her blush, and turning her head forward again, she made sure the loose tendrils of hair hid her gaze. "When I get better at sewing, I'll make you a kimono, okay?"

"Iie… that really isn't necessary…"

"It's the least I can do for a noble, Haru-sama."

"D… demo…" Seeing him smile despite the heaviness and tension in the atmosphere, Haru sighed and let him have his way. "Fine, then. I'm calling you Ishi-nii."

"Ishi-nii? But I'm not your brother."

"Doesn't matter," she responded, folding her arms. "I decided you're going to be, and that's that."

"Don't we have to have the same parents or something?"

"That's just some rule adults made up, and you can see how well their rules are working for them at the moment." Haru cast a furious glare at them that contained untold amounts of potential. "Okasan said I'd be a shinigami one day. I know we're not supposed to be friends, let alone family, but I've always thought that rule was dumb." Haru glanced back to Ishida and knew she had said the wrong thing. His features were stern, his eyes locked on the picture of his late grandfather, and even though the pain stung her heart, she bowed her head to pray one last time, moving to rise once she had finished, but his fingers wrapped around her wrist before she could stand.

"Stay," he said quietly. "Please stay… Haru-sama." Haru indulged him and herself by sitting down, allowing him to keep a hold on her hand. "I hate shinigami. It's a shinigami that killed my sensei, but… I think I can make an exception if it's you." She looked startled for a moment, almost as if she didn't know how to deal with his kindness. Her eyes stung for some reason, and everything got blurry for a little while until she blinked, whereupon something warm slid down her cheeks. Ashamed, Haru hid her eyes with her sleeve and looked back at Ishida when he squeezed her hand. "Hey… it's okay to cry at a funeral, remember?" And cry she did, quietly and behind her sleeve, for what he had given her in light of his own losses…

But there was movement in the present that required her attention. Opening her eyes, Haru felt the vibrations in the floor that clearly indicated movement of some kind. Sure enough, Hajime appeared in the doorframe moments later, sighing heavily as he carried a form of some kind. He nearly missed Haru's reiatsu, but something in the corner of his eyes caused him to turn in that direction. "Ah, sumimasen… I almost didn't see you there. Are you well, Haru-sama? Did Unohana-taichou look at your wounds?" When he got no answer, he waved a hand before her eyes, which drew her back relatively quickly. Blinking, Haru tilted her head at the smile on his face. "You looked like you were a thousand miles away."

"Gomenasai," she responded hastily, pushing the glasses up her nose. "I was just remembering something pleasant."

"I can tell… you looked really happy. So, what else brings you here? You should be working right now. Am I wrong?"

"Hai, but there is something I have been meaning to give you for a long time," she responded, her happiness fading and her voice growing solemn. Hajime, bewildered at her sudden change in countenance, didn't even offer a hand to help her rise. After she got to her feet, she withdrew an envelope from the folds of her haori and handed it to him, bowing her head. "Please accept it. It should have been yours by right."

"I'm afraid I don't understand, Haru-sama… what is it?"

"Just take it, and read it when you have the chance," she said, her eyes hidden behind the sheen of light racing across her glasses. There were a multitude of misgivings racing through Hajime's mind, yet all he could do was acquiesce to her request and remove the parchment envelope from her hands, tucking it away in his own haori for examination after work. Haru's sigh broke the silence, as if an unseen weight had been lifted off her soul. Bowing her head in gratitude, Haru turned to leave, but a hand on her shoulder prevented her from moving farther than a few steps.

"Can you give me some advice?"

"What for?"

"Well, you seem to know a lot about life and death… perhaps you can help me with something." Haru swallowed and looked back at him sheepishly, wishing she could just get back to the sixth division before Byakuya began to grow impatient or anxious… or both, which would be an even larger disaster. Still, the way Hajime's voice implored her required that she stay long enough to do as he asked her, especially considering he was part of the reason her wounds were healing so quickly. "The patient in that room has… been in a coma for almost five or six months now. She has shown no signs of consciousness and no promising level of brain activity, which leads me to believe her body is the only part of her that's still alive."

"Are you asking my opinion as to whether or not you should let her die?"

"Iie… not at all. I am not qualified to make that kind of decision," Hajime responded. "It's just… someone comes to visit her everyday, and I was wondering… do you think such devotion is foolish? If you were in that position, what would you do, Haru-sama?" She said nothing for a long time, for she was trying to put herself in the place of that person. Her mind was obstinate and took her repeatedly to Ishida Souken's funeral. With her thoughts locked on death, Haru leaned against the wall, hoping the sensation would scatter her concentration so she could place it on more appropriate matters, but the wall had absolutely no affect at all. Crossing her arms, she bowed her head and breathed a frustrated sigh. If there was one thing she hated, it was unanswered questions; it was a wonder she and Rukia spoke at all after she continually left them open for interpretation.

"I suppose… it's like a funeral."

"A funeral?" he inquired. "Your analogy makes no sense, Haru-sama. The girl's body is still…"

"Allow me to explain before you judge." Haru removed her glasses for a moment to clean them, and she always kept her eyes on Hajime, even if her hands were working on something other than her words. "Funerals are our last chance to honor a precious lost one and bid them farewell. It is a time in which people come to terms with the temporal nature of existence and an abrupt, shocking reminder that life never lasts forever. This case you have explained to me… it sounds like that visitor is sitting at a funeral everyday, praying for a soul that may never return. Disbelief is part of the grieving process, so the visitations should have gradually waned over time. However…" At this point, Haru shut her eyes and smiled before opening them again. "This patient you speak of is still alive bodily, and as long as she can breathe, even if it is with the help of a machine, then her visitor will always have hope."

"Unfortunately, hope does not bring people back to life, Haru-sama."

"That is true," she responded. "But it is a comfort to the living, and considering they are the ones that must cope with the loss, I do believe it is fair to offer them that one small relief, no matter how hopeless medicine claims the case to be." Hajime considered her words and, smiling, was surprised to find his hand had wandered to the envelope tucked next to his heart. Startled at the reflex, he quickly dropped his arm as Haru adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose.

"You can go in and see them if you want to."

"Nani?" she inquired. "Why would I want to?"

"Well, since you seem to have faith in her waking just as strongly as he does, then I figured it might help her out to have two people in there praying for her." Hajime disappeared before she could question him. Apparently, he had to file some forms and check on some other patients, these far better off than the girl sitting in the room at her back. Haru wavered between curiosity and her own personal discomfort, eventually shrugging the latter off and embracing the former in an act of boldness. She pulled the door open, immediately aware of two jaded eyes locked on her. "Hitsugaya-taichou…" Realizing how surprised she sounded, Haru cleared her throat and half considered leaving. "Ano… is it…"

"Sit," he stated. Nodding in ascent, she shut the door behind her and crossed the room, sitting in an empty chair next to his and examining the girl on the bed. The gentle hum of machines filled what would have otherwise been silence. "Yamamoto-soutaichou tells me you're to begin helping me with the fifth division's paperwork starting tomorrow."

"Hai…" she responded, "as penance for breaking the rules."

"What rule could you have possibly broken? I always thought you were the type that followed them despite your oddities."

"Yes, well…" Sheepishly, she rubbed the back of her head, letting her eyes graze over the ceiling. "I was… too hasty in battle. That is all."

"Really? Who did you fight with?"

"Ichigo," Haru responded, causing the white-haired captain to throw her a look of incredulity. "The thing is, I acted on impulse and wound up… going a lot farther than I normally do. Fortunately, I only put him in bed for a few days, and now that he is back in the real world, things have settled down a little bit at home. He would have done the same to me, but I had to get over my injuries quickly. Byakuya-sama needed my aid at the office and out of it. Honestly, that man is hopelessly troublesome." Leaning forward slightly, Haru gazed for a long moment at the motionless figure on the bed. "Hitsugaya-taichou, may I ask… who she is?"

"Her name is Hinamori Momo. She's a childhood friend of mine."

"Souka," Haru murmured, not wanting to impose on him with any more inquiries.

"Something else to ask?"

"Iie… I…"

"If you have questions, you may as well ask." A hesitant frown overcame her expression before that familiar determined boldness overcame it, drawing her eyes towards his.

"I was merely curious as to what put her in that condition."

"What?" Hitsugaya stated. "If it's a what, then that what would be me, and my complete lack of ability to protect her…"

"You sound as if you are blaming yourself."

"How astute of you." To relieve some of his resentment, Hitsugaya clenched a fist and bowed his head slightly. "You're young, Haru. You don't know what it's like to get there just an instant too late. I just wasn't fast enough."

"That isn't true." He didn't look at her, nor did he give any acknowledgment to her words whatsoever, but Haru spoke anyway, knowing that if Hitsugaya didn't listen, then Hinamori would. "In this sense and this sense alone are you more fortunate than me: when I was a few seconds too late, there was nothing left for me to do but sit and watch those people die." Her placid tone drew his astounded gaze; to see she was actually smiling unsettled him quite a bit. "She is still alive. There is a chance, no matter how small, that she will wake up, but my parents, and Shimori-san… they will never wake up again. And that is the hardest part of the ordeal, knowing that finality cannot be undone."

"I had no idea," he stated. "Gomen."

"Iie… there is no need for apologizes. While I do miss them, I have accepted and embraced that permanence. They are gone, but they will live on through memories. It seems this girl… is not remembered by very many people."

"It's because she was so devoted to him." There was such a grim note in his voice that Haru allowed some moments to pass before speaking again.

"Is 'he' the 'who' you referred to earlier?"

"Hai," the captain responded. "Such blind devotion… more than anything, I wish she didn't have to suffer so much on account of it." Haru didn't have an answer for that. "Moreover, I wish I could have killed him. I only stabbed an illusion. Even with bankai, I still couldn't even put a scratch in him."

"Who… is this man?" Haru asked, noting the ominous nature of the air.

"Do I really need to say his name?" The sadistic face flashed in her mind, the smile of false friendliness that celebrated disaster and woe. A gasp forced its way out of her lungs as she slumped forward in her chair, winding her arm around her stomach. Cold sweat broke through her skin and coated her forehead, but she was sensible enough to perceive Hitsugaya's motion towards the door. Seizing his sleeve, she gingerly shook her head to prevent him from going any further. "Nande?"

"It will pass," she reassured him, "though it seems we have yet another something in common. Those three times I was an instant too late… he was the one behind it." As if she hadn't surprised him enough with her words alone, she said them in that same objective, distant tone. Her eyes told of unspeakable pain, and the arm she had around her waist tightened as she swayed in her chair. "When I think of him, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I can't really describe it, though… but I have a name for it. Hatred… it tastes just like hatred."

"Is it even possible to taste hatred?"

"It has to be. Why would I deem it so if it was impossible?"

"You don't seem very sensible to me," he retorted.

"Just shows what you know."

"You're always talking about aiming for the sun on a level that borders literal, when you and I both know it is impossible to rise above it considering our current elevation, or rather a lack thereof. As if that isn't enough, you're sitting here with me, sharing some forlorn hope that she'll wake up even though you don't even know her." Haru sat straighter in her chair, shutting her eyes and leaning against the back of it with a sigh. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Do I listen with my eyes, Hitsugaya-taichou?" she returned, peering at him. For some reason, he looked sheepish and ashamed; stranger still, Haru was fine with leaving him like that for a moment while she sorted her thoughts out. When the silence wore on him too much, he half considered departing, but he was hesitant to leave Hinamori alone with such a peculiar girl. Whether she was listening or not, he continued speaking right where he left off, if only so he wouldn't have to hear the machines humming steadily as they kept her alive.

"The truth of the matter is… I'm not even sure if she would want me here."

"What would make you question it?"

"Aizen would," he answered, drawing Haru's violet eyes flashing in his direction. "I guess that makes me like her in a way. She was blinded by devotion, too. It nearly cost Hinamori her life. The stakes for me are much lower; other than my reputation or a few hours of my time, I really don't stand to lose anything by coming here."

"Still, I think you would prefer to see her walking," she stated, removing her glasses and tilting them so the dim light of the room would refract off their lenses. "Forgive my audacity in saying this, but I half think you would also rather see her in a grave." Before Haru could further explain herself, she was nearly heaved out of her chair by the captain, who, in a moment of fury, leapt out of his chair and dragged her to eye level. His reiatsu, a white halo that surrounded him and devoured his ebony pupils, told her what his furious expression would not. "Am I wrong, Toushiro-san?"

"Damn straight, and if we weren't in the infirmary, I'd show you how wrong you are!"

"Iie… I am right, even if you wish not to see it." The apologetic smile on her face made him loosen his grip slightly, but Haru was still hanging above her seat, still peering into his eyes. "I was not expressing any wish that she was dead. All I meant was, if she had died that day, then at the very least, there would be some concrete certainty for you to work with instead of all this ambiguity. The same would be true if she walked again, and that is by far your greatest hope." One hand completely left her shihakusho and drew back, causing her eyes to narrow. She was ready for the pain of the strike, but there was no sense in letting the blow fall without trying to talk him out of it. "What good will hitting me do?"

"It'll make me feel a hell of a lot better."

"Please stay your temper," she implored him. "I don't ask you to do so for my sake but for the sake of your surroundings. Do not forget where you are. What would she say if she saw you acting like this?" Clenching his jaw, Hitsugaya had no choice but to let her drop back into her chair, a little pale but otherwise unharmed. She sighed with relief and pulled her uniform together, bowing her head so the two locks of nutmeg hair concealed her eyes. "Will you allow me to speak, Hitsugaya-taichou?"

"You have said enough."

"I was merely going to add an apology," she responded. "I know you would rather see her awake more than anything, Hitsugaya-taichou. Still, almost anything is better than waiting. Waiting and uncertainty… they are your only companions in this endeavor other than fleeting hope. I hope I live long enough to see her walk again. I honestly hope that all those little visits and momentary passing thoughts are not for nothing. It would make me happy to know you did not have to endure the pain I have, of watching someone you love take their last breath and sitting close enough to them so that their blood stains your hands."

"Who said anything about that?" he demanded, maintaining his position facing the door. Haru detected his blush even if he wasn't facing her. The hum of machines kept silence from establishing its reign and was driven off even further by his slow steps across the floor.

"Hitsugaya-taichou…"

"I need some air," was all he said before shoving the door open and slamming it shut behind him. With a heavy sigh, Haru set about the task of rearranging her slightly skewed haori, and once she had done so, she placed her glasses on the bridge of her nose, sighing again as she leaned forward and rested her forehead against her folded hands.

"Forgive me, Hinamori-san. I never meant to wish you dead. I just spoke without thinking. I related your situation to my own experiences, and… it just sort of slipped out." No response, none but the customary noise of the respirator. "I cannot really say I have ever had to wait for anything except…" A hiss of displeasure escaped her as those cold, brown eyes filled her thoughts again. "Then again, waiting for death to march down here and finish the job himself… is not exactly the kind of thing one looks forward to. Toushiro-san… he is still young in many ways despite being a captain. I suppose we both still have a lot to learn. Then again, who doesn't?" It was like an inner dialogue drawn outside, and the person hearing the words, if she even heard them, was not Suzaku but Hinamori, who dozed on without so much as stirring. "Maybe I said what I did because I've tasted death so many times. Iie… I highly doubt that kind of justification would convince anyone beings I myself am not wholly convinced by it. Perhaps it has been the heaviness of my thoughts lately, what with Ichigo missing and my acquaintances not keeping in touch."

Haru sat still for a long time, or what felt like a long time. Feeling it necessary to check on the time, she withdrew her phone and flipped the screen open. Already, it was nearly two o'clock, which meant it was time for her to return. She rose, dusting herself off and making sure her uniform was in order again before sliding the phone back into her haori and giving Hinamori one last glance. "The world is a rotten place sometimes. Still, I feel like I want to protect it all. Soul Society… I will work to preserve it, whether I must do that alone or not. I don't think I will stand by myself, though…" It was right before he left that Ichigo gave his answer, making the extra effort to drag her away from her brother for a few moments to give it.

"What the hell are you doing?" Haru demanded. He was strangely serious, which led her to believe the matter was of the same nature. She made an effort to still her rebellion, but she couldn't kill the defiance in her eyes. When Ichigo sighed, she looked curiously at him.

"I'll do it."

"Do what?"

"When you ask me to, I'll fight with you." In an extremely large influx of paperwork, Haru had almost forgotten her request. "What's more, I don't care who it's for. Soul Society or otherwise, I'll fight with you, just as long as you're not trying to hurt my friends."

"I wouldn't dream of it." They shared a smile of understanding, but that was all they could do before Renji interjected. The chaos reminded her of a funeral. During normal funerals, people shared tears, but the only things shared at funerals attended by Haru were whispers of how distasteful her heritage was or arguments on her right of attendance. She wished him well in silence, bowing her head in gratitude and gazing absently towards Ishida as she did so. His eyes told her of his suspicions, but Haru masked all knowledge of it with a smile. After the farewells, they were gone, leaving her behind with her captain and her vice captain.

"Kuso," she murmured, bowing her head. "I finish living one lie, and I begin living lies anew. I suppose the Yamashita blood in my veins fights honest existence for all it is worth." A brief smile flashed across her expression before fading again. "Listen… I know captains have to be self-reliant, but that doesn't mean they don't need someone, too. Byakuya-sama has me… Toushiro-san could really use you right now, so please don't sleep forever, or you may wake up to find the world you remember too far gone." She started forward again, and she would have traveled forward had she not imagined a frail grip on her left arm. A white-hot bolt of surprise severed all thoughts of departing when she came to the realization that it was not some product of her imagination. Startled beyond words, Haru turned slowly towards the bed, finding a pair of eyes locked on her. _Iie… there's no way… there's just no way…_

As much as she tried to deny it, the reality of the matter was that Hinamori's gaze was on her, clouded with incomprehension yet clearly perceiving her guest. There was no recognition on her face, though, of the stranger at her bedside, staring down at her with wide silvery eyes through two glass lenses. Haru's arm trembled as a wave of pain worked through her back, but she ignored it for the sake of trying to call out for help. Finding she was just as mute as Hinamori, she swallowed and tried again. For some reason, seeing Haru helpless made Hinamori smile. A single word penetrated the silence, one that would linger for a long time after as the only one said. At first, her lips only moved, but after a few attempts, the weak voice of the incapacitated vice captain returned, and she was able to speak the only word she could think to express.

"Taichou…" Haru's lips parted to correct her, to inform her that she was nothing but a third seat, but she said it again, this time with more strength. "Aizen… taichou…" Hearing that name again shattered all her comprehension. Haru tore away from the frail hand, clutching her own to her as she stumbled over her feet and into the back wall, not bothering to restrain her gasps since Hinamori was the only other person in the room. Tears flooded her eyes as she relived those two moments again and again, standing in the blood of both her mother and father an infinite number of times in less than a few seconds. Aizen's final words to her echoed plainly in her mind and forced her to a trembling heap on the floor.

It was difficult to resist the temptation of crying out, of sobbing all her grief to the empty room. The trouble was, it would draw attention and lessen her own physical well-being, so she settled for covering her ears and gritting her teeth. Whatever words were spoken were muffled out by her hands, but the instant she raised her teary eyes, she let her hands fall to her sides. Seeing the apology etched into Hinamori's face, she could only rise and draw a sharp breath, remaining with her back against the wall as she struggled to support herself. In the poor light, she saw the lips move, but she couldn't hear them over the hum of the machines. The gaze was what beckoned her forward in the end; that, and the trembling hand helplessly outstretched towards her. Haru walked unsteadily forward, allowing a complete stranger to once again take her hand as if seeking to absorb some form of strength from it. Finding herself incapable of standing, Haru dropped into her chair and bent her head, peering at Hinamori through two locks of nutmeg hair. "Aizen-taichou… hurt you, too." Hesitantly, Haru gave a nod, not wanting to strain the awakened Hinamori too much. "Gomenasai."

"Please… don't apologize. You had no hand in it." In the silence that followed, she more than once thought Hinamori had slipped back into her coma, but every time she glanced up at the girl, she found the still eyes staring at her. "Perhaps I am the one who should apologize. If I had been strong enough to kill him back then…" The grip on her hand tightened, drawing her gaze farther upward. Gently, Hinamori moved her head once back and forth.

"But that wouldn't suit you at all. You're not that kind of person."

"You seem rather confident in your judgment even though you have no idea who I am."

"I don't need to know," she said. "I can tell just by your eyes. They're so different than his…" Her words fell away, almost as if they were too much to speak at the moment. Haru sighed heavily and hunched her shoulders, eyeing the floor and hoping the small bit of light in the room would reflect on her glasses. "You're genuine…"

"I'm not," Haru responded, biting her lip and bowing her head even further. "If you knew the half of it, you wouldn't make such assumptions. I'm not very personable, really… and I… have constantly been forced to live false lives. It's all very complicated; I doubt I could make anyone understand as I hardly understand it myself…" From the expression on her face, it was clear that Hinamori disagreed and that no amount of objections would change her mind, so Haru sighed with defeat and bowed her head.

"Was… Shiro-chan just here?"

"Shiro-chan?" Haru echoed incredulously. Just imagining his expression at the nickname caused a broad smile to spread across her expression. "Hai… I said something to offend him, and he left."

"Would you mind… telling me what you said?"

"I do," she stated, "because I would be afraid of offending anyone else." Somehow, Hinamori guessed what it was, and smiling, shook her head gently from side to side.

"It… would make no difference whether I was dead or alive. You only wished he had certainty. Do you… know him well?"

"I have only been in Soul Society for a short time, so we are only acquaintances. Very soon, though, I will be helping him with the fifth division's paperwork in order that he may catch up with his own."

"Souka," she said quietly, reflecting on Haru's words for a silent moment. The violet eyes peered at her, brooding yet patient. "That's what woke me then… I knew it was Shiro-chan."

"From my understanding, he has stood by your bedside a lot during your unconsciousness."

"Souka." The faintest smile pulled at Hinamori's lips before it faded again. "We have… not been formally introduced. I am Hinamori Momo, the vice captain of the fifth division." The fingers shifted across the back of Haru's hand, weak yet decided in their purpose, and managed to coax the noble into a handshake of some sort. "And you… who are you?"

"Roku bantai sanseki, Yamashita Haru."

"Yamashita…" The name slipped slowly from her lips, as if she was trying to remember something, but whatever memory it was never fully came, and so Haru was left to guess at what stigma had been placed upon her family. "From now on, you will be my captain." Hearing such audacity from someone who had just come out of a coma was startling in itself, and try as she may to stammer some sort of objection, Haru found her words unwilling to cooperate. With a heavy sigh, she rose from her chair, gently placing Hinamori's hand back on the bed, and gave her a stern look not to pursue her farther. "Onegai…"

"Do not worry," she said in a reassuring tone. "Toushiro-san is the only one I am interested in retrieving." Hinamori accepted the comfort without question and watched as Haru crossed the room. "Can you stay awake until I find him?"

"I will," she responded. Nodding gently, she pushed the door open, shutting it behind her and immediately collapsing against it when the pain in her back grew to be too much to bear. At the same time, her head ached and summoned one palm against it. Her vision blurred at the intensity of the hallway lights, for being in the small room so long had made her accustomed to darkness. _The sun would be impossible to endure, _she told herself with a heavy sigh. _If I cannot endure the light, then how can I expect to surpass it? _The matter fled from her mind when she heard Hitsugaya's footsteps rounding the corner. She kept her eyes averted until she was certain of her composure, then looked at him with a gravity that immediately summoned every terrible occurrence in his mind.

"Haru," he said in a barely perceptible tone. "What… what happened to you?" Shaking her head to signify it as nothing, she wiped her eyes again to ascertain their clarity and peered at him. "Is she… did Hinamori…"

"She would like to see you," Haru responded. "I am only sorry you were not here when she woke up. I would have retrieved you, but she delayed me. Please accept my apology." Despite the ache in her wounds, Haru bowed deeply before rising, still avoiding his gaze by turning away. "This is the certainty you have hoped and prayed for. I am not sure how long she will be awake, but from what I can gather, she intends to stay conscious until she sees you at least. I recommend you not tell Unohana-taichou of the matter until you have said all that needs to be said." Detecting his hesitance, Haru forced herself to peer at him, grave as ever despite the joyous occasion, and forced a smile. Then, without another word, she rounded the corner, her steps weighted with heavy musings, and left the captain to contemplate her enigmatic change in mood.

"That girl…" he murmured. "Something more went on than what she's telling me." Hitsugaya took a mental note to interrogate her later. For now, he contented himself with pushing the door open and peering briefly into the open eyes of the conscious Hinamori before sealing the room off from any possible interruptions. There were so many things that needed to be discussed, so many clarifications that needed to be made, but Hitsugaya made none. He waited for her to speak, waited for so long that he thought she may have drifted back to sleep, but then, the soft words came into being, and all his doubts were chased away.

"Shiro-chan," she said quietly. "Please… sit down. I want to talk to you for a little while."

"Are you sure you want me here?" The right answer was clear to him even though he didn't speak, for when he walked forward, Hinamori's eyes drifted across the room with him until he lowered himself into a chair. Even then, they remained fixed on him, burning with the desire to say a thousand words while at the same time displaying her current weakness. "Is this good for your health?"

"I'll be fine. Shiro-chan, I need you… to do something for me." He slumped forward in his chair a little, mainly so he could hear her better. In all honesty, Hitsugaya expected her to say something about Aizen, but the words she spoke, and the tone she spoke them in, made his breath hitch and that long dormant, familiar feeling of camaraderie to stir within him. "Please… please forgive me…" She had never specified what but drifted back into a sleep less deep and less permanent than before. Hitsugaya sat for a few moments, completely dumbfounded. Then, he left the room to inform Unohana of her awakening and to request that someone remain to monitor her level of unconsciousness. But those words, and the beseeching look on her face, still haunted him long after he left.

* * *

There was nothing but the sky to keep her company because she took measures to shut out the world below. Time was what Haru needed at the moment: time to think, time to come to terms with her situation. Otherwise, her secrecy would be undone. _That won't do, _she thought, delving into her haori and withdrawing her phone. Despite her patience, she still had not received a call from Ichigo, nor had she received a phone call from any one of his new acquaintances. Ishida seemed to be avoiding her for one reason or another, and Urahara didn't even have the courtesy to leave a message. _I hope nothing happened… still, my own problems seem to outweigh so many they might be having at the moment. I suppose that is because they are far closer and therefore must be dealt with. _Sighing heavily, she raised her phone to the sun, observing as its light raced across its sleek surface. _If you were in my situation, Ishi-nii, what would you do? Then again, you would never be in my situation. You would not get mixed up with shinigami the way I have… in public and in personal life. _

Haru's eyes drifted shut as she moved her hand, listening to the steady clink of the cross against it. "What a mess…" she muttered, rolling onto her side and allowing her arm to rest on the roof beside her. She half considered bothering someone just to talk things out, but that would be too troublesome. Then, she thought of Suzaku, but her zanpakutoh was recovering some of its strength in the peaceful hours so that, when the time came to fight again, it could reliably function in battle. It was a perfect time to reflect on things. Her desperation, in retrospect, seemed to have been vainly spent. The cause of her problems had deserted her, or perhaps he had been consumed by the hollow inside of him. Whatever the case, Haru felt incredibly conflicted regarding her words to the captain commander. _Is it even right for me to demand such things? Seeing how passionate I was about that duty, he finally acquiesced. What will it cost me at the end of things? What's more, how long must I wait to find out?_

Feeling a trace of Byakuya's reiatsu from afar, Haru's eye drifted to the sky again before she shut it and adjusted her glasses, curling defensively into a ball as that familiar feeling overcame her. _I am… I am betraying you by doing this, Byakuya-sama, and Renji as well. It was with you I first felt belonging… what made me so willing to give that up? Was it my promise to Sensei that I would monitor Ichigo, or was it because the similarities in our situations? Or maybe… it was just because I felt sorry for him. There was no need for that… _When Haru opened her eyes again, she was standing alone, casting a white shadow across a dark blackness that had no beginning and no end and wearing only a white kimono that swayed gently in the Omni-directional breeze. Startled, she took several steps back before whirling around, finding nothing there. She hadn't willed her unconsciousness; she had been summoned, and as she turned again, she caught sight of the crimson feathers. "Su… Suzaku?"

"My apologies for summoning you on such short notice," stated the bird as she drifted into Haru's shoulder. "But there is something I think you should see."

"See? What can I see here but what lies within?"

"That is precisely what I intend to show you." A faint sound made its way into her ears like putting hot glass under cold water. It began with a single fissure that Haru followed with her eyes. As it grew, it branched into others, and suddenly, the blackness surrounding her was more finite, covered in a web of cracks. "You see, Haru-sama, there have been a lot of… changes… in what lies beyond this void ever since you fought Ichigo, and rather than explain them to you, I decided to show you myself. Unfortunately, I can only begin breaking this blankness. It will only shatter for you, Haru-sama."

"I know," she answered, smiling faintly and raising her left hand. "What lies beyond the void is…" A snap echoed through what silence was left, and the darkness crumbled around her. Her feet found their holds, but it was not as it was when she had last visited. For one thing, there was no bleeding corpse at her feet, and Suzaku sat on her shoulder in her avatar form. For another, she actually had time to study her surroundings. She was standing in a sky devoid of clouds under a sun so oppressive that the air itself seemed to burn with a yellowish hue. Below her, Haru caught sight of the ground, and as if by her command, her body slowly began to descend. Once she stood on solid ground, she bent down and ran her fingers through the soil, which crumbled at the slightest touch into powder and slid through her grasp.

"When you were fighting Ichigo," Suzaku said quietly, "we resonated for an instant. You were unaware because your focus was to stay alive and avoid killing him, but for a moment, I saw what rests inside of him. It is an inverted world where directions are difficult to discern. From what I gather, it rains there when he is downhearted… unlike your inner world. It is supposed to rain here. Otherwise…"

"Otherwise, it will become a lifeless dessert, and that is not who I am," she stated, standing up and shading her eyes from the sun. "The sun grows heated when I feel fear for a prolonged amount of time. I grew tired of staring at a barren landscape and weary of the feelings of solitude, vulnerability, and grief, so I created within myself a place where I didn't have to feel them, where I didn't have to look at things like this."

"And I joined you for a time." The bird fluttered off Haru's shoulder, hovering in the air as her lengthy tail feathers wavered and danced. Then, she started forward slowly enough so Haru could follow her. "You have never gotten to see this place when you are happy. For that, I pity you."

"What is it like?"

"It is beyond describing, but I can say this much: it brings be great peace when this place is like that because I feel you have found a place in your world." Haru peered into the bird's blue eyes, startled at her words. "What you are doing for Ichigo… it is all good and well, Haru-sama, but should it prove to be fruitless…"

"Don't say that," Haru interrupted calmly.

"The truth of the matter is you spoke hastily… not to say I am qualified of making such judgments, but ever since you received the power necessary to oversee matters concerning Ichigo, I…" Her words fell into silence, and Haru smiled in understanding. True, Suzaku was part of her, but it was the part of her that had no idea how to deal with life outside the haven within her wielder. "Can you tell me… what makes the sun burn so intensely? Can you tell me why you are so afraid, Haru-sama?"

"It's nothing."

"Well, it must be something," Suzaku retorted, folding her wings and throwing her gaze to some desolate corner of the land. "You can keep secrets from Byakuya, especially secrets that need to be kept. But you can't keep them from me. It bothers you, does it? Then tell the old man to find someone else."

"Suzaku, he… did not assign me to a division."

"Nani?"

"You must have been sleeping off the fight with Ichigo at the time, but… Soutaichiou-sama never explicitly said anything about me being a captain. He just said he understood my resolve a little better and sent me back to the fourth division."

"Did he express any interest in meeting with you again?"

"Iie, none at all… at least not explicitly."

"But there was talk of you becoming a captain, yes?"

"More than enough to make my spot in the sixth division a very unstable one," she responded. "I cannot lie to you, Suzaku. I believe part of the problem is me. I do not feel ready for such a step, though at the same time, part of me does. Nonetheless, I cannot ignore the problematic sources outside of me. I now have two people willing to be my subordinates, one as my vice captain, the other as… I am not certain yet. I have a feeling both of them will insist on calling me 'taichou,' regardless of whether I am actually a captain or not."

"You are unsure?" Nodding her head, Haru sighed and peered at the sun, squinting her eyes against its blinding light.

"The truth is, I am not sure how Byakuya-sama will react to any of this if he learns of it. That in itself does not frighten me; what does is how I will react."

"Still doubting your own abilities, even after all this time…" Suzaku chided. "You passed the captain's exam. What more assurance could you need?"

"I am not ready to leave the sixth division. That is exceedingly clear to me, and yet the days of my presence there are drawing to an end. When that day comes…"

"Do you fear any sort of change between you and the Kuchiki? Is that what it is? That he will see you not as his subordinate but his equal?"

"All I want is to hold on to what we have," Haru stated. "I do not wish to lose it, whatever it may be."

"And you won't, not if he truly cares." The girl smiled weakly at her companion's reassurance. "While it is clear to me that you don't feel you are ready for that kind of authority, believe me when I tell you that fate will wait until you are. It will not happen a moment too soon, so please relax and try to find some enjoyment in existing."

"I will not have to try hard," Haru responded. "Arigato, Suzaku… this talk has done me some good, but I'm afraid I have things to tend to."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm not sure yet, but not knowing is half the fun of things." When her wielder began pacing away, Suzaku said nothing, nor did she follow the girl. "I will do what I can to bring the rain back again, Suzaku. Until then, please bear with it a little longer."

"Hai, Haru-sama…"

"I'm counting on you to stay with me no matter what." Feeling comingled with distance, and Haru realized there was a break in the sun striking her face. Someone was leaning over her, probing her gently between the shoulder blades until she rolled onto her stomach and muttered something about stopping. It wasn't Byakuya's touch at all; the hands were far less graceful, though they were equally persistent. The probing continued until, at last, Haru's eyes shot open and questioned her silent interrogator. It took her a moment to fully realize who it was, and when she did, she sat up, rubbing her burning eyes and her throbbing head. She took great care to readjust her glasses before giving him her full attention.

"Something wrong, taichou?"

"You really should stop calling me that," she returned, shaking her fatigue off and peering at him with one eye. "If Kuchiki-taichou heard you, he would get suspicious."

"You mean you haven't told him yet?"

"There is nothing to tell," Haru retorted, wincing as her head gave a particularly vicious throb. "Why are you here, anyway?"

"I came by to see Hajime. He said something about you brooding on the roof somewhere, so I thought I'd track you down."

"Souka…" she muttered, pushing her glasses up and casting her eyes in a different direction. "The fifth division vice captain woke up today."

"Oh?" he asked. Sensing his lack of comprehension on the significance regarding the matter, Haru sighed and silently condemned her throbbing head. His concern was almost tangible, but she swallowed every desire to press him for questions. "What… does that mean for me?"

"As of yet, nothing, since I am not the captain of anything at the moment."

"Keep telling yourself that, taichou."

"I swear to the gods," she said through her gritted teeth.

"Nani? You're going to crack my damn skull open?"

"If I were one-hundred percent sure the fall would kill you, then I would," she retorted, crossing her arms and resting moving the sword so it rested against her shoulder. The mock threat in her tone soon turned to a serious glimmer in her eyes, and Haru cast them at the far distance, tracing a few shapes on the horizon with her gaze. "This is all too strange. I cannot help but feel something is amiss. I have had no news from the human world at all. What in heaven's name are they doing over there?" Sighing with exasperation, Haru finally relinquished her visual interrogation of the horizon.

"Taichou." Haru threw him a leer, but it wasn't enough to make him recant his manner of addressing her. "You know, you should really…" He paused, throwing her a broad and confident grin. "Lighten up. You look like you just came face to face with death."

"Not death, Takumi," she murmured. "It is a miracle I have seen. Still, this does not bode well with me."

"Is something about to happen?"

"You mean other than my promotion?"

"Yeah," he responded, leaning back and folding his hands behind his head.

"I was being sarcastic."

"I know," he stated. "I think it's a good thing. If miracles start happening around you, people are more likely to show you the respect you deserve."

"Fate deserves the respect, then," Haru returned. "Or else, Hinamori herself does. I played no hand in her awakening. I was only her audience." Takumi turned one vibrant eye towards her and leaned back again, staring wistfully at the clouds. Sighing heavily, Haru joined him in reclining. She scrutinized the clouds with a sharp eye, but even Takumi knew her mind was elsewhere at the moment.

"Isn't Byakuya going to get worried if you stay away too long?"

"You were the one that told me to lighten up."

"Not if it gets you into trouble. You already had to fight him once, and I could tell you had a hard time with it. I don't want to have to watch you two go again."

"Nani? Are you jealous?" Haru inquired, shooting him a mischievous grin. Looking sour, Takumi quickly looked away, his eyes flustered and irate. "Come on… it was a joke. Do not take it so personally, Takumi-san."

"Nande?" Despite her curiosity, Haru waited for him to break the silence on his own, keeping her gaze locked on him while quietly subduing her urge to break it herself. "You fight him all the time even though you know you're better than him, so why do it?"

"For one thing, I am not better than Kuchiki-taichou at anything. He has lived much longer than me and therefore possesses a skill far beyond my years, and for another, I fight him because the both of us find it enjoyable."

"But you're so much better than him!"

"That is a matter of opinion," Haru responded in a tone that brought about the end to their conversation. Obstinate as he was, Takumi could not come up with anything else to say, so he cast his eyes shamefully at his hands, which were trembling from the force he used to draw them into fists. "I'm afraid I cannot see why you loathe the sixth division so much. When we last discussed this, you claimed you were treated no different than everyone else, and from what I have seen, the other members of the division are fond of you. Surely, you did not lie to me."

"It's not that."

"Then what is it?" It was difficult to avoid Haru's gaze, which searched for his when he continued to be silent. He bowed his head just enough so his hair would block them from view, which drew a sigh of surrender from Haru. "I did not mean to press you for answers. You do not need to tell me if you do not wish to." She moved to rise but was almost immediately caught by Takumi, who wrapped an imploring hand around her wrist while keeping his eyes diverted. Raising a brow, she sighed and seated herself again, at which point, Takumi released her and drew away. "Fine," she murmured. "We can stay a little longer…"

"How can you just say things like that when you know it will only be harder on you? Byakuya's got a hell of a nerve coming down on you as hard as he did, and all because you did what you had to… it really pisses me off."

"Is that all it is?"

"Hell, no. The guy's not the least bit personable. Even if I had a complaint, he probably wouldn't listen, and he's got this superiority complex that's just too damn overbearing."

"It reminds me of someone I know," she stated, smiling at the look of disbelief he shot her. "Nani? You were kind of an asshole the first time I met you, in case you don't recall, but you turned out to be relatively decent. Save your perpetual disrespect for authority figures of all sorts, I have no complaints."

"I respect you, don't I?"

"As of now, I have no authority save that of rank over you, which I do not even consider significant. My nobility is on my father's side, and I should soon be rid of it if things continue progressing as they are." Takumi considered it as Haru stood, embracing the wind as it raced forward to meet her. The ends of her sash, the restraint in her hair, and its two loose tendrils flew wildly about. She shut her eyes to take it all in, breathing deeply the scent of freedom in the air, but a memory soon brought her back to reality, words spoken through a bathroom door. "You… are not the only one with a poor opinion of Kuchiki-taichou, are you?" Bewildered by her question, he simply gazed at Haru, realizing for the first time that she had stood. "Please tell me, Takumi-san. I want to know, no matter how poor the opinions may be."

"There was talk… after he threatened to expel you from his division. The punishment was too harsh, they said, and was only meant to limit your power so it stayed below his own." He provided this information with hesitance. "I wanted to punch him in the face so bad… you know, knock a little sense into him. I didn't much care for it, either."

"You should tell these friends of yours he let me win. Perhaps that would change their opinions a bit."

"But that isn't…" He stopped when he saw how Haru was peering at the horizon, her eyes full of a desolate and fleeting hope. She smiled reassuringly before stretching at length, surveying the landscape through the lenses of her glasses. A flash of recognition fluttered across her expression, and then she leapt off the roof. The drop wasn't far, but it was still enough for Takumi to throw his head over the side of the building to make sure Haru was still in one piece. She landed in a crouch, and before the ends of any loose articles caught up with her, she was off at a dead run.

"Sorry to cut it short!" she yelled over her shoulder. "Please bear with it for a little while longer, Takumi-san! I am almost certain the problem will work itself out in due time!" Haru disappeared a moment later, no doubt using shunpo to assist in her endeavor. Takumi watched her go, seeing no reason to stop her. Clearly, she had seen something of importance, but had he known what the matter was, he would have objected. It wasn't long before Haru came to a dead halt, having come into her encounter far sooner than she expected. By some miracle, they didn't wind up in a heap on the pavement, but he did lose some ground to Haru, who began to stammer an apology only to have one pale finger press against her lips. It quieted every qualm she had before she selected the precise words with which to present them.

Things happened rather quickly after that. Haru suddenly found herself being dragged behind Byakuya, and finally learning his intention, she matched his gait to the best of her ability. "Byakuya-sama… what is it? What is this about?"

"We need to talk," was all he said, making sure his fingers were locked between hers.

"Talk?" she stammered. "But I don't understand… you should be at your desk doing paperwork…"

"You have some nerve giving your captain orders, especially in light of your own absence." Perceiving more than a hint of distain in his voice, Haru tried to pull away but found his grip had tightened. It was strange to her that such pale, delicate fingers could hold something so firmly.

"I can explain the absence…"

"Save your explanation for later. This has nothing to do with the sixth division."

"Then what is it?" Haru tried to dig her heels in, but Byakuya would hear of no such thing. He continued pulling her along despite her silent protests. Her reiatsu was virtually buzzing with anxiety, and her eyes, placid though they were, contained undertones of fear that were all too obvious to his trained eye. "Byakuya-sama, please let go."

"I cannot."

"I will follow you to wherever you are taking me without question. I will not run away, but… I must ask you to release me."

"I cannot," he repeated. By then, they were entirely isolated in their surroundings, climbing up the familiar staircase Haru recognized near or far. They were climbing Soukyoku hill.

_So soon… after we just fought? Surely, he cannot mean to fight me again. _The mere thought of it was enough to make her skin crawl and gave her the strength to pull away. She nearly fell back down the stairs they had already climbed, but before she could, she instinctively reached out for Byakuya, who closed his hand around hers and pulled her forward. In that moment, she saw for the first time the change in his expression. Serious though he was, his face was a picture of lament, and his eyes were flashing voraciously as they bore into hers. "Bya… Byakuya-sama," Haru murmured breathlessly. "Is… is everything well? Did something happen?"

"You happened."

"That doesn't make any sense!"

"You are rather fond of riddles and hidden meanings. I am certain that if you think about it, you will find what I want you to." Too exhausted to argue with him, Haru bent her head and contented herself with catching her breath, but only until Byakuya's hand burrowed under her chin and raised her eyes to his. "Were you given a clean bill of health?"

"Onegai… don't make me fight you."

"That was the farthest thing from my mind." The hand slowly wandered to her cheek, where his fingers skimmed ever so gently across her skin. Haru, still trying to regain normal respiration, had no choice but to endure his gaze, critical and concerned at the same time. "I merely wished to know what delayed you."

"It was nothing."

"You are a terrible liar," he murmured, his tone laden with some dark desire that caused her frame to shudder.

"Byakuya-sama…"

"It was something important. Otherwise, you would not be avoiding the subject." To further convey her lack of desire to discuss it, she threw her eyes away only to have that hand readjust the tilt of her head while the other rid her of her glasses. Whimpering, Haru reached for them only to stagger forward. Upon finding her balance absent, she clung to Byakuya's uniform, verbally protesting his theft all the while. "Do not complain. They were clouding your vision."

"I could see fine…"

"I meant from me," he responded. His brows fell together upon examining her. "Were you crying earlier?" The look on her face was a plain enough answer. "Haru-kun…"

"It was nothing," she repeated firmly, trying vainly to pull away. She was no more willing to lose that contact with Byakuya than he was willing to relinquish it. The look of distasteful obstinacy faded to a look of deep thought as he gently coaxed Haru to fix those eyes on his again. She refused for a time, then peered shyly at him. "Did you drag me out here to interrogate me?"

"I never dreamed of it. Your condition prompted my inquiries."

"Souka…" Her voice trailed off as her hands found his wrist. Gingerly, she managed to shift the palm to her cheek so she could lean against it.

"In all honesty, I intended to take a walk with you."

"What about the paperwork?"

"It has already been completed, no thanks to your efforts." Her face flushed with shame, and her gaze dropped again only to be summoned back by the most unlikely things: Byakuya rested the object in his hands on the bridge of her nose, straightening them with a surprisingly gentle motion before his arms fell to his sides. "I do not want your excuses, Haru-kun. I only wish for a simple walk, if you will grant me that." Despite those words, she was still hesitant to do anything but stay there. Trouble seemed a distant subject, so Haru simply wanted to remain there. "I understand if you are not up to it…" Before his argument could go any further, she seized his arm, leaning the side of her face against it. "Haru-kun?"

"You shouldn't say things like, 'We need to talk.'" He looked a little befuddled, but Haru quickly provided an explanation. "In the human world, people say that to other people when they are ending a relationship." His eyes meandered away, and he appeared quite flustered. Still, he gave no indicator that that was his intention. "I wish I could read you better," she confessed. "It worries me when you stay quiet for this long after speaking such serious words. Did something happen, Byakuya-sama?"

"You happened," he repeated. When he began forward, Haru walked alongside him. She didn't want to lose hold of him, if only so she could continue asking with her eyes what he meant. "Ever since that first night, I find myself desiring less and less the solitude I once saw as my future subsequent to Hisana's death. The relationship… that is precisely what I wish to speak with you about." He didn't say anything for a long time, and though they moved at a slow pace, almost as if, having come that far, Byakuya no longer knew what to say. Haru held his arm, still watching him intently. Occasionally, his eyes would flutter to her, but with one glimpse of her gaze, his own retreated. She debated with herself silently, wishing she knew the appropriate words to console him, or at the very least clear the cloudiness in his eyes. Then, she thought of her own secrets, the things she had yet to tell him, and bit her lip while she pondered.

They stopped in the middle of the flat rock. All around them, the wind shifted in different directions, resting only when Byakuya pulled his arm out of her grip and faced the other direction. This puzzled Haru all the more and made her wish quietly for contact of some sort. One glance would have satisfied her, but all she caught a glimpse of was the roku on his back that occasionally flashed out of sight, covered by the scarf around his neck. His shoulders told her just how troubled he really was, unveiled all his conflicts one by one, but rather than interrogate him, Haru waited patiently for him to speak. "I really am… no good with things of this nature. Even now, I am too ashamed to face you."

"Byakuya-sama…"

"Tell me what you think of me. Be honest… entirely honest." The question startled her, mainly because Byakuya gave no indicator of the answer he wanted, leaving her to flounder in uncertainty.

"You are asking me to describe something that I do not have the capabilities to put into words."

"Then make them up," he answered firmly. The sun felt hot on her face even thought he breeze was cold. She felt so close to the sky that Haru nearly reached out a beseeching hand towards it. Her fingers twitched, curling into a fist as the weight of her question forced her head into a bow.

"How can you expect me to fabricate words on such short notice?"

"You seemed rather good at it when you were speaking in haiku. If the form helped, then by all means, implement it." Haru's hand twitched again. She glared at it, as if silently asking it to stop so she could think. Then, she set her mind free so it could race the wind to the sun. Her words came without thought, born from nothing more than her regard for the man who still refused to acknowledge her.

"What can the brook say to the moon that hides the gaze it needs to reflect?" He started to turn, but upon realizing what he was doing, Byakuya maintained his position. It was just like her to turn her interrogations on her questioner. The meaning was clear enough, but he obstinately refused to oblige her.

"Why not the sun, then, which shines far brighter and moves one cycle each day?" Silence for a moment, and then a response.

"She is selective. An intense eye is too dull to heed her murmurs."

"Stones on the shore and birds chirping in the trees; why not tell them instead?" Byakuya inhaled more rapidly than he intended. At some point, Haru had crept up behind him and clutched at his scarf, pressing her forehead against his back. She sighed contently, and he imagined she was smiling that familiar smile, the one full of placid contentment and tinted with the slightest fleck of mischief.

"The moon matches her gait, far slower than the sun, far faster than stones."

"Are you saying you are my equal again?"

"You take these things too literally," Haru responded. "You were the one that told me to use haiku to explain myself, and now you have broken the form. Besides, you never justified this line of questioning to me in the first place. Haiku… it makes no sense to me."

"Then allow me to enlighten you." When Byakuya started turning, she relinquished her grip on the scarf. What she didn't expect was for him to grab her shoulders. She couldn't help but look into his eyes, which were so intense that they nearly bore through her. They would easily have done so, too, if she had not been the object of their focus. "A lotus," he murmured, leaning close enough so his breath caressed her lips. "A lotus blooms in the garden of my heart, once empty, now full." Her face was a picture of complete astonishment, but she didn't look away. She scrutinized his smoldering eyes for something she may have missed, an effort that was cut short when he closed the distance between her lips. Haru allowed it for a moment, then pulled away in haste, blushing so wildly that her glasses fogged over.

"Byakuya-sama… matte…" He couldn't understand her protest, and he half considered disregarding it, but the pair of trembling hands resting on either side of his neck convinced him otherwise. "What if… someone sees us?" she offered meekly. A trace of frustration raced across his eyes just before he recaptured her lips, and this time, she complied almost entirely. Her hands tightened around his hakama until her arms eventually wound around his neck. His own were wrapped around her waist, pulling her close enough to eliminate most of the distance between them. By the time he was willing to pull away, Haru's head was spinning. At some point, his ministration killed her hesitance, but Haru held back on account of the serious look in his eyes.

"The haiku… do you understand it?"

"Do you honestly expect me to think after that?"

"Then I can only assume you enjoyed it."

"Byakuya-sama!" she cried, her face reddening more, if that was even possible. "Do you have any tact at all?"

"I have plenty. Otherwise, I would not have spoken as I did earlier." A hint of pain raced through his eyes, and bewildered at its presence, Haru's eyes crept out from behind her hands. She peered inquisitively at him for a time before moving one hand, placing it against his temple and allowing it to linger against his face.

"Do you have a headache from work?" To her surprise, Byakuya quickly dropped his forehead against her shoulder, causing her to gasp as his hands moved over her back. Haru tried to ask him what she had said, but with his fingers moving over the mark, she could only bite her lip to keep from emitting anything more than a slight whimper. Suddenly, his hand stopped, and he murmured words into her ear in a low tone.

"If I have a headache, it is because I am conflicted."

"Conflicted?" she echoed.

"It has always been difficult for me to put feelings into words. I imagine you know the reason well enough, being part of a noble family. I have just been… trying to find the right words for them, demo…" He paused, shifting a bit to make sure Haru was listening before he continued. "If I speak, if the words I am thinking of are the right ones, then things will never be the same between us. They will likely lead to the death of your innocence if you accept them and the feelings that bore them." Byakuya was a serious man; Haru knew that through and through, though he did have his few and far between moments of lightheartedness, but in that instant, she was convinced she had never heard him speak so seriously. She opened her mouth to offer some reassurance, drew her breath, and prepared to speak. Only silence followed, for the obstinate words would not even dream of being said. "It is fine," he murmured when she attempted to squirm away and convey the message with her eyes. "Just let me stay like this… for a little while longer."

"Byakuya-sama," she murmured, letting a lock of raven hair drift through her fingers. A sharp emotion gnawed at her insides as she tried to imagine his expression. It made her want to push him away and escape his grip, but that desire in itself only made Haru's grasp that much tighter.

"Please do not be afraid of losing me. Whatever it is, I know you will tell me when the moment arises. It will change nothing. It will change nothing because…" He drew a sharp breath, almost as if he was agonized in such a manner that prevented him from speaking. Still, he couldn't help but draw back a little, just so he could see the puzzled look in Haru's eyes. He was cautious as he reached forward, wrapping his thumb and index finger around the bridge of her glasses and gingerly lifting them off of her face so he could see those conflicted violet eyes more clearly. She made no objections, verbal or otherwise, but seemed to fall straight into his own gaze. The only sign that time was still moving was the wind, which continually shifted the passing moments so they blended together into one infinite chain.

Byakuya took the opportunity to weigh his words and their potential consequences, but he wasn't allowed to think for long. Haru tilted her head in such a way that allowed the falling sun to catch every glint of silver in her eyes. As much as he wanted to tightly wind her arms around her, he restrained because he wanted to see how great a mistake he was making. He wanted to gauge it by her eyes, but he didn't want it to be a mistake. His brows fell together as he hesitated and made another excuse to remain silent. The hands clutched at his shihakusho and brought his wandering eyes back to Haru, who still looked bewildered and a little afraid, but she conveyed with her eyes her desire to know and to lesson his burden if possible. He already let so many chances slip by, but this one, he would not. Resolved and reassured, he let two pale fingers graze her cheek, silently cursing his gloves as she leaned into it. The impossibility of denying it any longer, and those innocent eyes staring up at him, drew his words forward before he could stop them.

"Sukidayo." And, just to make sure he had actually said it, he said it again, this time with more confidence. "Sukidayo, Haru-kun." For his trouble, he was gifted with a smile. Her hands folded over his as it pressed against her face, but for the moment, that smile satisfied him more than any words could have.

* * *

Momentous occasion! At least I think so… hard to tell when you're caffeinated, writing-induced, and all around hyper-ish. I do believe it's time for your Japanese lesson, and this time, I think I really did use too much…

Souka: I see

Iie: No

Demo: But

Daijoubu: I'm fine, alright, whatever you want to call it… XP

Nani: What

Ano: Japanese equivalent of um.

Hai: Yes

Sumimasen: One of the billion Japanese apologies. This one is kind of like "excuse me."

Gomenasai: Formal apology.

Gomen: Regular apology.

Nande: Why

Kuso: Japanese expletive. Yay, expletives!

Onegai: Please

Arigato: Regular expression of thanks.

Matte: Wait

Sukidayo: According to the gleaming, sparkling internet of doom, namely ., this is just one of the many forms of "I love you." But it is not the most serious form. *evil laugh* Its general translation is "I like you." Go to the website if you want to read more… the caffeine-induced me is having an ADM (Attention Deficit Moment).

Holy cow… that was wild and crazy… so, in a nutshell: I'm busy, I probably won't post again for another couple of months, I'm up to my neck in stuff to do, and I'm writing portfolio like crazy. However, feedback is still appreciated, and I'm sure once I retire, I'll have plenty of time to finish it. You hear that? You only have to wait for another fifty bloody years! XD

I'm just kidding. I'll do my best to update when I can… unfortunately, that's all I can do at the moment. However, I still love all my fans… and I especially love the 21,000 hits KTT has at the moment… and the 199 reviews… and the 47 favorites (thereabouts… I looked at the numbers yesterday). So, I know I'm still getting attention from somewhere. I'll keep at it for the fans' sakes! Thanks to all! Fingers and toes crossed for my portfolio endeavors, please! Hope you all enjoyed the fluffy bits at the end. Thanks also for your patience, and I'll do what I can to at least make a monthly appearance!


	8. Chapter 8: Denial

A/N: Just to let everyone know, I am surviving… somehow. I have been super-uber-super-super-uber-busy lately… thank you, end of the semester. So, I'll endure the twenty ka-jillion papers and tutoring hours and everything else… today's the first time I've really made time for my fanfiction in a while. I even did a little writing. To my dear fans: I'm so sorry to keep you waiting! Thanks for hanging on! And since it's getting really late, I'll keep this a/n short so you can enjoy chapter 8. Hope it's good!

* * *

_Chapter 8: Denial_

It was always difficult working with Hitsugaya for some reason. After only two mornings, Haru had proved quite useful to him, but the way he kept interrogating her with his eyes every time she peered over his shoulder at the form he was filling out for the fifth division was unsettling. The work itself was not all that difficult; it required the same sorting and filing tactics she used with Byakuya. _I wonder what he is doing right now, _she thought to herself, not pausing for a moment despite the distraction. _He has acted perfectly normal, even after what he said… _That recollection drew her hands to a momentary stop. Hitsugaya glanced up at her only to find a faint blush in her cheeks, and when Haru detected his gaze, she hid her face with her hands. _Kuso… why do I have to be like this?_ She cast him an apologetic look and, clearing her throat, lifted the form she dropped from the floor.

"I won't ask."

"Arigato," she responded, her hands moving with renewed motivation. "Hitsugaya-taichou, may I ask you something?"

"Nandesuka?"

"Is it really true that, when you became a captain, you tried sake for the first time and got drunk?"

"Who told you that?" he demanded.

"Oh, just an acquaintance of mine." The silence wore on for a few moments as Haru finished shifting the papers. Hitsugaya was still glaring at her, wondering what unearthly sort of audacity possessed her to ask something that personal so casually. "He said that, whenever someone gets promoted to the position of captain, they do something out of the ordinary, if only for that day… though sometimes it sticks longer. Drinking sake is something that didn't, I suppose, considering your unintentional inebriation."

"Don't make it sound like my fault!" he replied, a bit more flustered than he would have liked. Haru peered at him quizzically and smiled.

"Gomenasai. I did not mean to offend you. I was merely wondering is all. Come to think of it…" She paused and rested a hand on her chin, peering at the ceiling while her mind wandered. "Do you know what Byakuya-sama did?"

"If I had to venture a guess, I would say nothing. He probably deems such things foolish."

"Probably," she replied, "so for him, almost anything would be out of the ordinary." Shaking her head at the absurdity of her own question, she returned her eyes to the forms.

"Haru."

"Hai?"

"Is there any reason you're doing this other than Kuchiki-taichou telling you to?" Her hands stilled, and she peered up at him, puzzled, concerned, and overall taken aback.

"Perhaps there is."

"Don't just avoid my question. I'm a captain, you know."

"That is true," Haru responded, smiling again, "but you don't seem like the type of person that would use power frivolously. Besides, I could just as easily argue that I am a noble and demand an answer on the grounds of my family line." Her hands returned to their task with haste even though the white-haired captain was still interrogating her with his eyes. Finally, he sighed and straightened the form on his desk.

"I had a feeling there was a reason Kuchiki-taichou put up with you. That would explain a lot of it."

"It isn't just that, though. Otherwise, I would not give him the time of day."

"That's an awfully bold statement," he noted.

"Gomenasai. That is just how I feel." As she worked, the cross on her wrist jingled slightly, once more drawing Hitsugaya's attention to it. He had never really stopped to wonder before just why she chose it of all things to supplement her uniform. And then there was that sash, which looked expensive enough without the intricate embroidery. Just who or what she was still puzzled him. Then again, she never used her last name around him or anyone else, only her first. When the captain commander notified her that Haru would be helping him with fifth division's paperwork, even he refrained from speaking it, referring to her merely as Haru-sama, as if there was only one Haru in Soul Society. Still, he had known which Haru the words pertained to, and he had prepared himself for the exact person who came to his office.

"Just who are you?" he said at last, more to himself than to her. She lifted her eyes and stopped working, seeing the surprise etched into his youthful expression. "Sumimasen… just thinking aloud."

"You can ask me, you know," she stated. "That question, I will answer for you because it doesn't bother me anymore."

"Why would it bother you?"

"Perhaps because my father was Yamashita Tatsuhiro." Not a sound escaped him until the brush fell back into its well. A drop of ink hit the surface of his desk, fortunately missing the papers by a considerable margin. For a long time, she sat with her hands folded and her head downcast, shifting uncomfortably beneath his befuddled gaze. "You have heard of him, then. Does it… bother you?"

"Iie. It just explains a lot." Realizing he had dropped his brush, he hastily brushed the drop of ink off his desk and peered up at Haru, whose eyes were studying him in an unsettled manner. He refrained from reaching for the brush even though she had already seen it. "Tell me something… is that why you reach for the sun but hesitate to rise above it?"

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"Do you take me for a fool, Haru? I know you're strong enough to do it now…"

"Do what?" she interjected, but her objection fell on deaf ears.

"Don't play dumb," he retorted. "The other day, you were calling me 'Toushiro-san.' Have you forgotten your own words? That you would start addressing me that way when you became a captain?" With every word he said, some bleak realization dawned on Haru, but she said nothing, nor did her expression change much. She only lost her smile and stared solemnly at the floor. "Am I wrong?"

"Soutaichou-sama put you up to this."

"Why would he?" Hitsugaya inquired. Realizing she had said too much, Haru clutched her hakama and threw her gaze elsewhere, silently condemning her own suspicions nature to the worst conceivable fate. Fortunately, he was not allowed to pursue his line of interrogation, for at that moment, the door slammed open, drawing a verbal wince and a shiver from her.

"Ohayogozaimasu, taichou!"

"Matsumoto," he stated flatly. "You're late."

"Sumimasen," she replied, shrugging nonchalantly. "I guess I overslept."

"You 'guess'? It's nearly noon. You were supposed to be here three hours ago."

"I don't see what the big deal is. I'm here now, right?" Grinning, she started making her way to her office, at least until she caught Haru studying them. She seemed to be taking mental notes of some sort while observing her interactions with Hitsugaya and his responses to them. One moment, Haru was the placid observer, withdrawn from their interactions. The very next, Matsumoto literally drug her into it, crushing the breath out of Haru with such force that she nearly gave a verbal objection.

"Kawaii!"

"Ano…" she murmured, attempting to put some distance between the vice captain and herself. "I… I am pleased that you think so, but could you please release me? I can't… breathe…"

"When did we get a new squad member, taichou? Don't tell me you only picked her because she was this cute…"

"T… Toushiro-san…" Haru pleaded, pulling vainly on Matsumoto's arm, which only made her grip more crushing.

"I honestly don't think Kuchiki-taichou would appreciate your assumptions, nor would he appreciate you wringing the life out of her."

"What does Kuchiki-taichou have to do with it?"

"She is on loan from the sixth division, and what's more, they've been shacked up for almost three months now."

"Eh?" Matsumoto asked, peering at Haru. "This innocent little thing? With _him_?"

"Don't say it like that!" she retorted, freeing herself from the vice captain's embrace and straightening her shihakusho.

"Am I mistaken, Haru?" She held back her comments, for as much as she wanted to tell him his propositions were not entirely false, there lingered in her mind a number of issues any answer could cause. Calmly, she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, wrapping her free hand around her elbow and peering critically at the ground. "You haven't denied it."

"What reason do I have to? Doing so would only make things more suspicious."

"So, you're really living at the Kuchiki manor, hmm?" Matsumoto inquired.

"When I first came to Soul Society three months ago, I really wasn't given a choice. Then again, had I objected the arrangement, who knows where I would be now? But I didn't object because I was…" A serious look came over her face as she stopped. Hitsugaya paused to study her with his jaded eyes, noting the conflict in her gaze that was released with a heavy sigh. "No one ever offered me that kindness in the human world without a reason. Urahara-sensei was obligated to my parents' memories to take me in, and Ojii-sama only provided me with financial support to further his own ends. It may have started out as a duty… but then again, I really shouldn't be talking about this, should I?" Smiling sheepishly, she rubbed the back of her head and sat down, continuing her paperwork as both Matsumoto and Hitsugaya remained rigidly watching her, enthralled with her words. "Please forgive my disruption."

"Haru…" She glanced up at Hitsugaya, noted the odd expression on his face, and rose once she deciphered the silent order from the remainder of his expression. She held her sword in her left hand and paced forward, standing rigidly at his desk as if waiting for further instructions, but he never gave them. He simply stood and leaned over the papers for a moment. "You have not… formally introduced yourself to Matsumoto."

"My apologies," she replied, turning quickly to the vice captain and tucking her sword into her obi. "Roku bantai sanseki, Yamashita Haru. Hajimimashite." Folding her hands, she bowed to the vice captain, who heard the name and flinched but remained otherwise unshaken. The same smile broke over her face as she waved her hand.

"There's no need to be so formal, Haru." Matsumoto stopped waving her hand and returned the bow. "I'm Matsumoto Rangiku, the tenth division's vice captain."

"Rangiku-san, then," she stated. "Is it all right if I call you that?"

"Why do you feel like you have to ask permission? Although…" She paused and examined Haru. Seeing the intention in her eyes, she took several steps back, but it didn't save her from the crushing grasp of the vice captain. "It's really cute!"

"M… matte… kudasai…" she managed, squirming to no avail.

"Gomen, gomen! I just can't help it." Having finally been released, Haru gasped for breath and again adjusted her shihakusho. Her glasses were askew, which she attended to next, and after doing so, she smiled placidly at Matsumoto, folding her hands and tilting her head just a little to the left, as if some thought or notion weighed her down.

"Haru," Hitsugaya said sternly. Seeing he had since risen from his chair and was standing by the door waiting for her, Haru quickly bowed a farewell to Matsumoto, following the captain with quick steps. Once the vice captain was alone, she flopped down on the sofa sitting in front of Hitsugaya's desk, hanging one arm over her eyes, shifting it to examine the ceiling. She didn't know where they were going, nor was it any of her concern. Brief memories of Haru lingered in her mind, memories of the expression she wore. That expression, and Haru's very nature, hung heavily on her. It reminded her in a sense of her captain, who was used to being looked down on for his height. That solitude in her voice, so profound that it even troubled Hitsugaya, only made her an object of greater pity.

_She said her name was Yamashita…_ Squinting her gray eyes, she turned slightly and emitted a sigh. _Still, her face carries another name… or it would, if it didn't look so serious all the time. Nah… _She rolled over again, smoothing her hair out of her face and letting one arm hang off the couch._ Things in this world still surprise me. Is that wrong… Tokazawa-taichou?_

* * *

Haru matched the captain's steps almost exactly. She didn't even consider asking for an explanation, not until the office was far beyond him, and even then, she was hesitant. He seemed to have such purpose in his steps that she hated to disrupt it. So, she did the only thing she could: she walked alongside him with her hands at her sides and her eyes positioned ahead of her.

"Do you like the rain?" Not expecting a break in the silence, Haru stumbled but quickly regained her footing.

"Come… come again?" she asked.

"I was just wondering if you liked the rain. Your zanpakutoh is a fire type, so I would assume not, but assumptions are no good. They are founded only on one's own perceptions."

"Iie… I don't like the rain," she answered. "I love it."

"Nande?" Smiling, Haru turned to him with a shrug and stared at the sky. "It goes against your zanpakutoh's element."

"You should understand, Toushiro-san. You were alone once, too. Sometimes, I think you still are, but I see you genuinely care for Rangiku-san as your comrade and ally. Therefore, I must withdraw my own assumptions and reevaluate them." She nearly said more, but she cut off her words in favor of examining the sky. "You never answered my question earlier."

"What question?"

"The one about you getting intoxicated on your first day." His eyes became jaded again, and he threw them hastily to the ground. "It is nothing to be ashamed of. You seem like the type of person who values self-control, so I know you did not become reduced to such a state through your own actions."

"Blame Ukitake and Kyouraku. If they had quit buying me sake, I would have been fine."

"They seemed a little troublesome when I met them," she answered, rubbing the side of her neck where Ichigo's claw marks hid beneath a layer of bandages. "Nonetheless, they were both kind in their own respects. Ukitake-taichou seemed like the kind of person who tries to oversee and fulfill every little thing himself, and Kyouraku-taichou, while indolent and a bit too friendly, he seemed like a decent person as well."

"You know them?"

"They oversaw all three portions of my examination," she answered, rubbing her temples at the very thought of it. "To be honest, I didn't think I could cram so much information into my head, not to mention that damn hollow interrupting…" Exasperated, she shook her head and peered at Hitsugaya, whose brow was arched incredulously at her words. "You are rather troublesome yourself, you know."

"How do you figure that?"

"Because I'm so open with you. I forget to check myself before I say things." Haru bowed her head and gave him a half smile. "Do not take this the wrong way, but I feel very comfortable with you. Perhaps it is because you and I have a similar label, or perhaps it is because your eyes are so outlandishly colored, they remind me of my own, or perhaps it is something entirely different. Whatever the case, I feel as if I can confide in you for some reason. Perhaps…" She paused as her smile became full. "Perhaps it is because you are the only captain in Soul Society who is shorter than I am."

"Oy!" he shouted, but his anger only made Haru laugh. "It isn't funny!"

"Sumimasen… I meant no offense, and I can assure you, I don't look down on you for it at all." She stifled her laughter and bowed an apology, though her face was still lit with a smile that suddenly fated. "You know…" she murmured seriously, "before I came to Soul Society, I never laughed, I seldom smiled, and I refrained from interacting with others because of what I was. To come here and find acceptance… it is the most liberating thing imaginable, Toushiro-san." A brisk wind rushed forward to meet them, but Haru continued smiling, tilting her palms towards the sun as if to embrace it. "Somehow, now that I am here, I feel like my fate is attainable. I will rise above the sun, and I will keep rising. It sounds strange to you, but having your own family condemn you as a worthless stigma…"

"At least you had a family," he murmured. Haru's smile faded, especially when she caught a glimpse of how lonely his eyes were. When he noticed her staring, he whirled away, expecting her to follow, but she remained rooted to the spot. He glanced back at her, beckoning her with his gaze, but she shook her head and bowed her head.

"They…" she murmured. "They were family only in name. Still… I suppose I have no right to be miserable even now, now that they want me to be the nineteenth heir." The resentment rang clearly in her voice, but she said nothing. She simply bit her lip and continued staring at the ground as she walked forward, passing him with her fists clenched and her eyes brewing with fury.

"Haru," he stated.

"I know I should be more grateful for what I had. I didn't have to struggle to survive, not the way you did." The whole time, she kept walking, not noticing that Hitsugaya was now following her. "It was such a lonely life. Sometimes I forget how fortunate I was to have a sensei and a brother who cared enough about me to make sure I was still alive every so often."

"Haru."

"I'm still trying to figure out when I got so strong. I was never like this in the human world. Of course, I took down my fair share of hollows, but still, I…"

"Haru," he interjected for the third time. The irritation in his voice drew her steps to a halt. His eyes flickered with suspicion when she didn't turn to him. Her arms were still at her sides, but her hands were drawn into two trembling fists. Sighing heavily, Hitsugaya rubbed his head and tipped his eyes towards the sky. "If it's too much trouble walking the fence, then why do you keep doing it?"

"I am not sure what you mean."

"You know precisely what I mean. I mean you becoming a cap—" In the next moment, before he could finish his sentence, Haru yanked him into a headlock and pressed her palm firmly over his mouth. He only protested until he saw the expression on her face, for despite the determination filling every feature, there were tears trickling down her face. An imploring, apologetic glance was all she gave him before releasing him and drawing slowly away. "Haru, where are you going?"

"I don't know."

"You're a terrible liar," Hitsugaya retorted. "So, let's have the truth, then."

"Iie," she responded.

"That's an order, Haru." Clenching her fist again, she wiped the tears from her eyes before turning to him, giving him a look that pleaded for pity or exemption. When none came, she straightened her posture after turning fully to him.

"Unfortunately, even if I personally desired to answer your questions, I could not. There are orders higher than your own that bind me to silence. Already, I have said too much, and you have learned too much. That is why I implore you to refrain from asking any more questions."

"Nande? What are you hiding?"

"It does not concern you," she returned, bowing her head apologetically. A familiar sensation raced through Hitsugaya's veins. Frustration, pure and unadulterated, seeped through his every joint and probed his sword from its prison. In a flash, the blade was at the side of her neck, just to gauge her reaction to it, but she didn't move. Not a single flinch shook her frame. Her eyes remained fixed on the captain's, puzzled yet not entirely taken by surprise. "What is it that you want from me, Toushiro-san?"

"Fight me."

"Is there any particular reason?"

"I wish to see for myself whether or not you are worthy of being called a captain."

"Then you are wasting your time," Haru answered, still not moving. "It would be meaningless. Neither of us would gain anything by fighting." Clearly, he thought otherwise. The blade at her neck changed directions and swept downward towards her shoulder, but the instant before it touched her skin, she flashed away, leaving only empty air in her place. She reappeared about fifteen feet away, arms at her sides and head still bowed out of respect, indicating that she had no intention of drawing her sword or of fighting him. When she finally did look up, her eyes were rock-solid and silver as diamonds. They spoke on volumes loud enough for him to hear, reassuring him that she could not be provoked, but for some reason, he didn't care. He flashed forward and swung at her again, but she moved around the strike just as she had the first time. The blade came closer to cutting her when he it and took a second swing in her direction.

"Are you really that foolish?" he inquired, dropping another blow and missing by a narrow margin. "If you don't draw your sword, I could kill you. Is your own life really that worthless to you?" Haru tilted her head to avoid the strike moving towards her temple, looking at him with the same calm look as she had before. That placidity seemed unbreakable, which only served to further infuriate him. He drove the sword forward only to watch Haru move around it, as if the motion was as casual as breathing. She stayed near enough to the blade to tempt it, almost as if she was silently daring him to cut her. The trouble was she always kept enough distance between herself and the unreleased zanpakutoh to avoid any potential damage that could result in altering the direction of the swing. It always went a little to the left or right, or just over her head when she dipped down.

Hitsugaya saw every opportunity she had to strike. He was certain Haru detected them, for in her eyes, there flashed a certain light every time she noted an offensive opening, but she never once utilized them. She simply moved around the rain of blows as if it was no more extraordinary than drawing a breath. "People like you…" he said, curving the sword upward and forcing her to retreat. He swung to his right, watching as Haru moved with the blade, always keeping her eyes locked on him. Her expression changed as the sword came so close to her nose that it caught the bridge of her glasses, knocking them aside. In that moment, she hesitated, and in that moment, Hitsugaya decided to end it, but before he could lower the sword, he felt himself seized from behind, and Haru again disappeared from view, though not of her own volition. "Nani… Matsumoto! Let me go!"

"Gomenasai, Hitsugaya-taichou," she replied grimly. He still had his sword drawn, but from the way she was holding him, his use of it was limited, not to mention what stood between him and his target. Her expression was astonished, more at having been saved than having nearly been killed, and even from where he was standing, he could see she was trembling. One arm was around her shoulders, the other around her waist, and they restrained her loosely, simply because he seemed to detect her unwillingness to fight.

"I didn't ask to be saved," she retorted.

"You didn't have to." Smiling, she tilted her head back and gazed skyward, relishing his loose embrace and peering at him.

"Byakuya-sama, how did you…" She stopped asking her question when the fury became apparent in his face. He released her with some hesitance and stepped forward, commanding Haru to remain still with his gaze. She folded her hands and dipped her head obediently, listening to his steps as he neared the furious tenth division captain.

"Hitsugaya-taichou," he said, his typical deadpan laced with fury. "I would appreciate it if you refrained from trying to provoke my third seat in the future."

"Nani?" he demanded.

"You see, I only agreed to let her help you with the fifth division's paperwork because Genryuusai-dono recommended I do so. He would not specify the reason. Nevertheless, I am obligated to obey his orders and intend to continue doing so. You should know that, if Haru-kun had any intention of fighting you, she would have done so already. Therefore, I must caution you that, if you persist in your efforts to provoke her…" Haru, sensing the change in his tone, glanced up at Hitsugaya, whose jaded eyes reflected the image of her captain's face. Sure enough, there was not a single trace of light in Byakuya's gaze; it had almost turned coal black. "Then I will kill you myself and be done with it." With the same noble finesse, he turned away, pausing only to lift Haru's glasses of the pavement despite Hitsugaya's continuing objections.

"People like you…"

"Hitsugaya-taichou, don't make it worse than it already is," Matsumoto hissed, not intending it to be an order in the least.

"People who have power and deny its existence, people who know damn well they can do better yet refuse to do so, people who don't value their life enough to draw their sword and protect it… they disgust me." Haru shifted her eyes to Byakuya to gauge his reaction, but he had none. For some reason, her heart stopped beating at his words, and her fingers twitched as if they wanted something. "Are you really so afraid of what he thinks?"

"Hitsugaya-taichou…" Matsumoto pleaded. Haru stared at Byakuya for a moment, who silently extended the hand that held the glasses.

"You refuse to defend yourself from the label of coward? So much for a quincy's pride…"

"Enough," Haru retorted, closing Byakuya's fingers around her glasses and walking past him. "Rangiku-san, please release him."

"Haru…" she murmured.

"It's fine. Let him go."

"Haru-kun, in your condition, you really should not…" She peered at Byakuya imploringly, and along with her question was the promise of some recompense in the near future. Helplessly, he swallowed his arguments and shut his eyes. "I do not see what you hope to achieve by fighting him."

"I am merely going to indulge him." Her hands worked the tie in her hair until it came loose, and once she stuffed the fabric pouch in her haori, she gathered the loose ends of her hair, tying them back just so they would stay out of her face. "Byakuya-sama, if I should require bankai for this…"

"Do not let it go that far," he commanded.

"Understood, Kuchiki-taichou." By then, she had finished with her hair and stepped forward, squaring her shoulders for a moment. _I am taking this far too seriously, _she thought, tilting her palms towards the sun, leaning her head back, and shutting her eyes to feel the full magnitude of the sun's warmth.

"Haru-kun."

"Hai?" His next words were spoken in an undertone only Haru could hear.

"Be careful." Nodding her head in understanding, she let her eyes fall open, a picture of placidity. By then, Matsumoto had fulfilled Haru's request and retreated to a safe distance. Byakuya soon joined her, having no desire to interfere. Hitsugaya stood at the ready, waiting for Haru to charge, but she never did. She remained relaxed, leaving her shoulders in their usual positions and placing her feet slightly apart, staring at him with troublingly placid eyes.

"What are you waiting for?"

"For you to make a move," she returned, stretching one arm over her head. "Unless you would rather I take the offensive. I care not either way, as I can take full advantage of both." When or how he closed the distance so quickly remained a mystery to Haru. Either way, she suddenly found those jaded eyes incredibly close. The sword slid by her face as she tilted her head, then moved towards her neck with incredible rapidity. Silence broke as another blade flashed through the air, forcing Hitsugaya's blade off course. Its point whirled through the air in an arc until it struck the ground. Then, it was pinned beneath Haru's foot, much to his chagrin. "So, you want me to fight like a captain?" she murmured. "Then I will try not to disappoint you, Toushiro-san." She was about to disengage, but Hitsygaya yanked his sword free, throwing her off balance. He raised his sword and prepared to deliver a hit without even noticing the risk. When Haru struck the ground, the first thing that hit was her hands. One violet eye peered at him, locked with his own gaze, and then, with one thrust of her foot against his bottom jaw, he was thrown backwards.

"Taichou!"

"Leave them." The order came from Byakuya, who stood a short distance away from Matsumoto, examining the fight with his usual stoic face. His eyes didn't lie; they showed mild concern for the situation, and an unnaturally strong curiosity. He watched Haru landed on her feet, spreading her arms to keep her balance. Hitsugaya only just managed to remain standing. He was on one knee, coughing from the force of the blow. Once he recovered, he wiped the blood away from his lip with distain. One of his teeth had pierced it. Other than being winded, he felt nothing had been severely damaged. "You'll regret wasting that opportunity."

"Will I?" she inquired casually. Mistaking Haru's tone as one of condescension, Hitsugaya charged again only to have Suzaku crash against his blade, still unreleased but dangerous nonetheless. Swiftly, he withdrew and cast another strike on her, which she blocked by raising her sword and aiming its point at the ground.

_With one hand… _he thought, his head whirling in disbelief. _How can she block it with just one hand? _Her arm was shaking from the strain, but Haru held her sword steady, still gazing into Hitsugaya's eyes and analyzing him. The moment she felt the pressure of his own sword lessen, she flashed away, her hair trailing forward for an instant before settling again. The following strike narrowly missed her nose, and her eyes followed the unreleased Hyourinmaru as it sailed before her line of vision, gauging the distance that separated sword from flesh. Unfazed by its nearness, Haru shut her eyes and released the breath she had been holding, instinctively moving to one side when he swung in her direction again. Strike after strike she dodged without opening her eyes, a fact that Hitsugaya only realized after the fifth or sixth attempt. _Impossible… how can she… how can she perceive it if she doesn't have her eyes open? _

Realizing that her back was vulnerable, he flashed out of sight and swung downward only to find his blow thwarted. Again, Haru held her sword in only her left hand, and again, the blade was facing downward, but this time, it was hanging directly behind her spine. It was useless to move Suzaku since the point of Hitsugaya's sword rested against its blade, so instead, she moved her entire body while holding her sword stationary, allowing it to pivot against Hyourinmaru's point as she spun to face him. _This balance… I have never seen anything like it…_ That distraction proved costly for him. Taking the opportunity, Haru allowed her blade to slide beneath his own. Suzaku darted its length until it came very close to the hilt. Then, as with the last blow, she used her entire body in making the strike. She dropped to a half-crouch, and taking the hilt in both hands, swung hard enough to throw Hitsugaya's stance off. He stumbled to the side, watching as she whirled to face him again, her eyes glimmering with a plot.

Following his loss of footing, Haru began to withdraw, but he wouldn't so easily allow that. The chain at the end of his zanpakutoh leapt forth, attempting to wrap her sword in its clutches, but Haru turned at the last moment, watching the crescent moon-shaped blade as it encircled her right arm and knocking it away with the sword in her left hand just before it pierced her neck. He was planning to yank her forward with the chain, but before he could utilize the opportunity, Haru flashed into his striking range, ignoring the dangers of doing so as she brought her arm level with her shoulders. Before he could comprehend what had happened, she swung, aiming directly towards his neck. Hitsugaya instinctively swung his blade downward, and it was stopped to his surprise by Haru's bare hand, but her own blade never became embedded in his flesh. It stopped just short, drawing his jaded eyes wide open. In the silence he could just hear some kind of electronic beeping. Sighing, Haru rammed her own sword's point straight into the ground, yanking the lanyard on her neck with her free hand and flipping the phone open.

"Sumimasen, Hitsugaya-taichou, but would you mind letting me go for a moment? I need to take this." As soon as the chain unraveled, she yanked her sword out of the ground and calmly turned away, flipping the device open and raising it to her ear. "Hai… Haru desu." That was all he overheard before she drifted out of earshot. A moment later, Matsumoto came down from the roof, standing behind him with a concerned look on her face.

"Hitsugaya-taichou, that girl… is dangerously strong."

"I know," he retorted, touching his bruised jaw and grimacing. He didn't discuss her potentially being a captain with Matsumoto, nor did he desire to with Byakuya watching him calmly, just in case he decided to take further action against her. "Matsumoto, do you find it at all suspicious that he is so protective of Haru?"

"I'm not sure."

"I only asked because I'm not sure of his reasons for being so, especially since she does not seem to need protected." He ran over the possible reasons in his mind, but not a single one made any sort of sense whatsoever, as most of them involved deep-seated emotions. Watching Haru as she conversed with whoever was on the other line, he noted the sudden change in her posture. Her shoulders were rigid, her hair waving with a gentle breeze and unveiling her eyes, which were flaming with curiosity.

"Is that the only reason you called?" she said as calmly as she could.

"Forgive me for deceiving you, Haru-sama. It's just… at the time, I didn't think you would take an interest in family affairs."

"So you told me the truth, then altered it to a lie just so I wouldn't worry?"

"Moushiwake arimasen," he said.

"Don't apologize. It's fine."

"At any rate, now that he is certain of his fate, he wishes to see you one last time to bestow upon you what is rightfully yours. Tatsuhiro-san would surely wish for the same, and at any rate, Tokyo is a far piece from Karakura Town. I can act as a go-between so long as the phone lines connect us, but beyond that, I fear I can do nothing unless you ask it of me."

"Souka," she responded, wrapping one hand around her elbow. "Do they honestly expect me to drop everything and go to the human world just for that?"

"Yamashita-dono's instructions were specific, Haru-sama. He wants you to perform the soul burial, then take your place as the head of the family."

"I won't," Haru breathed, clutching the phone until her knuckles turned white and her hand trembled. "I will not give that man the satisfaction of victory. That is the only reason he wants me to perform these tasks, you know. It isn't for the good of the clan, but only for his own selfish sake. He knows I no longer wish for that title. That is why he wishes me to sit at my family's head: because he knows I will suffer dearly for taking on that power. Do you even comprehend the magnitude of what I did for Ichigo? Do you know what sort of position this puts me in?"

"You never told me what you did for Ichigo, Haru-sama," he admitted sheepishly.

"Right," she murmured. "Gomen… I spoke hastily. At any rate, what you are asking me is impossible. I am roku bantai sanseki now. I have responsibilities to my division and to my captain, and considering how hospitable he has been when compared with my own so-called family, surely, you cannot blame me for fulfilling those obligations before all else?"

"Haru-sama, don't be stubborn."

"You think I owe them something. They tried buying my forgiveness before, remember? I only took what I needed to survive. I will not…"

"Haru-sama, onegai…"

"Notify whoever asked this of you that I ardently refuse to play the game. I am still planning on nullifying my own nobility once I am old enough to."

"It is not for their sakes that I ask this," he hissed. "If you refuse this duty, then I am no longer obligated to do anything for you."

"Would freedom from my troublesome matters be such a bad thing for you, Ishida?" Haru felt his bewilderment through the dimensional void, through the silence on the other side of the line. It was very seldom that she addressed him only as Ishida, though she did on occasion call him by his first name. Troubled, he waited for her to continue speaking, not wanting to provoke her any more than she already had been. Her breath struck the receiver, frustrated and uncomprehending.

"Haru-sama, I…" Finding he lacked the words or the right to such reassurances, he swallowed and determinedly clutched the phone to his ear. "You don't need to give me an answer now. I will stall them for as long as it takes, but I warn you… time is not your ally right now. Do not deliberate for too long. Otherwise, I may wind up in a fix because of it."

"Nande…" Haru paused to formulate her question the way she wanted it, then sighed again before continuing. "You always go the extra mile for me, even if it is troublesome for you. Nande?" There was silence again, and it went on for so long that she thought she had dropped the call. Still, she waited until she was given an answer.

"What… what kind of a question is that? The reason doesn't matter. Honestly, of all the people I know, you are the only one to ask questions when I do you favors. Speaking of which, Kurosaki… where is he?"

"I can't answer your question."

"You can't, or you won't?" he returned. "Kuchiki-san, Inoue-san, and Sado-san have all been interrogating me, and I really think you know something. If you do…"

"If I told you he was in a safe place, then would that be enough to answer your question, Ishi-nii?" He answered in the affirmative, drawing a relieved sigh out of Haru. "I cannot tell you exactly where he is. To be honest, I am not entirely sure myself, but if he was not faring well, I would have received a call by now."

"I trust you," Ishida responded, speaking a low tone. "Ano… may I ask you something?"

"Nandesuka?"

"You said you would never pick up if I called you in the middle of work."

"I wasn't working."

"Oh, did Byakuya-san actually give you a break?"

"Something like that," she replied. "At any rate, I should probably get back to it. I still have much to do."

"Haru-sama."

"Hai?"

"Will you consider my words?" Haru paused, her eyes sharpening again as she went over the subject matter of their phone call in her mind. Then, with a sigh, she tilted her head skyward.

"Hai."

"Arigato-gozaimasu, Haru-sama." The dial tone informed her that Ishida hung up, and slowly, she lowered her arm, flipping the phone shut and tucking it back into her haori. Suzaku, still unsheathed, remained in her right hand until that moment, at which point, it slid out and struck the ground. Only in that moment did she become aware of how heavy her body felt. Haru allowed herself to fall back against the wall, pressing her palm against it to keep from sinking down any farther, and contented herself with analyzing the texture of the pavement underfoot. She focused on its impossible smoothness that somehow provided her feet with enough traction to walk and fight effectively, until some shadow passed over her gaze and drew it upward. Seeing the inquiries in his eyes, she smiled half-heartedly.

"Family problems."

"Souka," he answered. "Nothing serious, I hope."

"Not yet."

"Good. It means I get to keep you a bit longer." This time, when her glasses were offered to her, she took them, and, placing them on the bridge of her nose, bent to lift her sword off the ground. "When we return to the office, I want you to get some rest."

"Not until I finish this fight."

"Hitsugaya-taichou went back to the tenth division headquarters while you were on the phone. He notified me that, despite his initial doubts, he has satisfied his curiosity and that you sufficiently defended your pride. He expressed his wishes that, next time the two of you duel, you should not hesitate to defeat him."

"I was not aware there was to be a next time," she answered.

"In time, perhaps." That half-smile flitted across her face again as Byakuya held out his hand to her. "Come on." Hesitating, Haru reached out until her fingers brushed against his palm. That in itself was enough to provoke him, for the haste with which he closed the hand in his own was beyond any Haru had ever seen him use. He pulled her forward, wrapping one arm tightly around her waist and briefly pressing his lips against hers. After drawing back and relishing her blush for a moment, he turned away, tugging on her hand, and as usual, Haru, obedient in every way she could be, did not hesitate in following him.

* * *

To Haru's surprise, Renji didn't utter a single complaint when they came back, nor did Takumi, who had been sitting patiently by the window, say anything when he passed Haru to exit the building. She was bewildered by this peculiar behavior, by the utter and complete silence that settled into the office even as they finished their daily routines. Other than their parting words, Renji said nothing to her. He hardly looked her in the eye, almost as if he was avoiding her for some strange reason. Byakuya didn't speak again until dinner, at which point, he only did so to adhere to common decency and manner. Every now and then, he peered at Haru, who seemed a little too interested in her food despite her slow consumption of it. "Haru-kun…"

"Hai?" she answered, flinching at the sudden sound of her name.

"Is there something you would like to discuss with me?"

"Such as?"

"Perhaps you can begin by explaining just what you did to provoke Hitsugaya-taichou."

"Why would you think I provoked him?"

"Because of the remaining captains, he is one of the most cool-headed. Granted, he will raise his voice from time to time, as we all do, but he is not one to openly challenge an ally to a fight for absolutely no reason." Haru considered it as she stared into her tea cup. For some reason, it just wasn't the panacea for her troubles that night. "Did something happen?"

"Not that I am aware of, no," she responded, taking a long sip of her tea to contemplate what words she could offer him. To her surprise, Byakuya let the matter rest after that. He waited until Haru was finished with dinner before rising. She turned towards her own bathroom down the hall but was unexpectedly prevented by a firm hand around her wrist. At first, she didn't turn to face him, not wanting to see the expression on his face, but she soon had no choice. He pulled her arm again to whirl her around, and once his eyes locked on hers, they were not liable to permit her glancing away.

"Haru-kun." His tone was low and full of something Haru could not label. One hand crept under her chin to keep her head still, but it was gentle enough to allow her escape if she desired it. "Do you remember… the night I washed your back?"

"How could I forget?" Haru silently condemned her voice, which trembled with anticipation. She begged with her eyes to be indulged, or at least released so she could clear her head, but he did neither. He simply pressed one hand against the wall and leaned forward at a maddeningly slow pace.

"Do you remember," he continued, "what you requested of me the morning after?" Her face blazed with heat, but as much as she wanted to hide it, she could not withdraw her words. After some thought, Haru realized she had no desire to withdraw them, and so answered her captain in a quiet, hesitant tone.

"I said I wished to return the favor."

"That's right." From his tone, it was easy to see that he knew full well what she had said. He simply wanted to hear her repeat herself, and the tone that she used to do so nearly drove him out of his mind. Still restraining himself, he leaned in closer, his eyes overcast with the effort it took to keep from kissing her, and murmured in a soft tone, "So… will you?" Her smile grew at those words and at the soft pink tinge that worked its way into his cheeks. Pulling free of his restraint, she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder, breathing deeply the faint scent of sakura mixed with something distinctly Byakuya. In that moment more than anything, she felt happy, and she hoped he interpreted her actions as such. Unfortunately, it was only for a moment, just until a voice pierced the silence before her own could.

"Ano… am I interrupting something?" Hesitantly, Haru relinquished her grip on Byakuya, still smiling a smile of disappointment and reassurance. Patience, it seemed to say, was a virtue, and it would be fully worth the wait. "Moushiwake arimasen, Haru-san, but there is someone at the gate to see you."

"Someone… for me?" she inquired.

"Hai, but he said he didn't think Kuchiki-sama would appreciate his being invited in on your account. He ardently expressed his desires to speak with you and requested that I find you at once. He says it is urgent."

"Very well," Haru murmured with a bow. "I will be back in no more than fifteen minutes, Byakuya-sama. Please be patient until then." Once he nodded, Haru bowed her head and excused herself, following the servant as he led her through the halls and into the night air.

"Your hair," he said suddenly.

"What about it?"

"When did you take it down?"

"Sometime during the course of the day. Why?"

"It suits you better when it hangs freely," Keiji noted. "It reflects your soul's liberation, not to mention, Kuchiki-sama certainly seemed enthralled with it when you returned from work."

"Keiji-san…"

"You know, if you ever left him…"

"Is that what you think?" she inquired, astonished at the servant's sudden boldness. "I do believe you have it all wrong. Takumi-san… he is kind-hearted, and while he does admire me, his intentions to not go beyond platonic. That isn't why he came."

"Moushiwake arimasen," Keiji replied, smiling, "but the person waiting for you is not this Takumi-san you speak of."

"Nani?" Haru said incredulously as he pushed the gate open and bowed to her. Suzaku was at her side, waiting faithfully for her utilization should the circumstances require it. Haru glimpsed at him through her glasses, leaning in the shadows with his arms crossed and his head bowed in thought, a faint bruise beginning to appear on his chin where she kicked him earlier that day. "Toushiro-san…"

"Tell me something," he stated. "In the middle of the fight, you closed your eyes, but you still seemed to detect every movement I made. How? How did you do it even though you couldn't see?" Haru stood facing him, her eyes flickering with bewilderment at the question. "You can't say you don't remember. I am smarter than that, and I know you are, too. It is not everyday someone crams for three days and manages to obtain the highest score in the history of Soul Society on such a complex and comprehensive exam."

"How did you know about that?"

"Kuchiki-taichou mentioned it while you were on the phone."

"Nani?" she cried. The volume of her voice drew Toushiro's eyes to hers, jaded and frustrated beyond all reason. "Why would he do something like that?"

"Perhaps he sees exactly what I see in you now, that you are, indeed, a captain."

"But I'm not…"

"At any rate, I'm getting off-topic. Just tell me how you managed to dodge every single blow I threw at you, even the chain you didn't know about."

"But I didn't dodge the chain!"

"You turned your body and prepared to sacrifice your right arm just to spare your sword. Don't lie and tell me you didn't plan that." Haru's eyes grew serious as they glimpsed the moon. Her arms remained at her sides, and the ribbon tied to the hoop of Suzaku's hilt swayed gently when the breeze blew. "Every action, every tactic you used today from the first blow to the last, it was unlike anything I've ever seen. Where you learned to fight like that and how you learned… that isn't why I'm here. Just tell me how, with your eyes closed, you managed to detect my movements and dodge them." Haru half considered turning to reenter the estate, but for some reason, she remained rooted to the ground. She felt compelled to give him an honest answer, something she never did without considering how her inquirer could benefit from reasoning it out. The case was one that required her explanation, however, because he likely could not fathom how she did it.

"Reishi."

"Nani?" Instead of explaining farther, Haru tilted her palms upward, just as she had done to feel the sunlight that day, and the reaction was surprising. A faint halo of gold reiatsu surrounded her, with a silvery dusting of particles hovering around her palms. He couldn't help but stare at the sight. The two loose pieces of hair hovered around her face while the rest of it, still restrained, waved back and forth. There was some sort of ecstasy in her eyes, almost like a oneness with her surroundings. Hitsugaya could see it even through the glasses. Her face was lit with a smile that remained even after looking back to him.

"It is easier to test their density when I stand like this for some reason. Once I had earlier today, I realized that, because they were denser in the area you chose for our battle than in others, I could track your movements more easily." Her smile faded for a moment, but her reiatsu didn't. "Gomen… I did not intend to take advantage of you in the least. I hope you do not think ill of me for it."

"Amazing," he stated, "that you have the audacity to apologize to me for doing precisely what a captain should do." Hitsugaya turned to her, bowing his head slightly and speaking to her shadow on the ground. "I apologize for provoking you today. My actions were unjustified."

"Toushiro-san…" When he looked up at her, there was true regret in his eyes.

"And, what you said about Hinamori the other day… you were right. I think I said something like it myself once."

"Toushiro-san," she said firmly.

"I realize I have no business prying, but… if there is anything I can help you with…"

"It is not in your power to help me deal with my family," she said firmly. "So really, it's fine… as much as I appreciate the offer, there is nothing you can do."

"So," he said calmly, "is that what the phone call was about?" Haru threw her eyes to the wall, hating the way he had baited her almost as much as she hated not realizing it. "There is something I want you to do tomorrow, if you have time to do it."

"Nandesuka?"

"I would like you to take the morning off from paperwork, and instead, go see Hinamori."

"Hinamori-san… but why?"

"When I went to see her earlier today, she requested that I give her captain the message."

"But I'm not her… Aizen is…"

"You and I both know she was not referring to Aizen." Baffled as she was, Haru's concentration remained strong enough so her reiatsu still glowed around her. A trail of displaced spirit particles followed her as she took two steps after him. "If you show up at my office tomorrow morning, I will send you away. Spend the morning with Hinamori, and go to the sixth division in the afternoon to complete your paperwork there. When you return to my office, I will explain the tasks that accompany actually doing the paperwork."

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?"

"Even if you were never made a captain, Haru, I would trust you not to unveil the content of those documents to anyone." Haru opened her mouth to object, but before she could, the youngest captain flashed away, leaving her standing alone in the midst of the pavement until she recalled her promise to Byakuya.

"Kuso," she muttered, slipping back inside the estate. "Of all the times to bring something like this up, it had to be now. Even so, it will be nice to see _him _vulnerable for a change, if he even waited for me." Sighing heavily, Haru pushed the door open and crept inside, removing her sandals at the entryway and turning to fulfill her duty. To her surprise, she walked straight into the arms of her host, who captured her before she could get any further than she had. Haru didn't even have time to voice a protest as a pair of lips crushed against her own and prevented her from speaking. A searing hot feeling scattered her thoughts and rendered all attempts at processing anything completely useless, even after he drew away and peered at her with half-lidded eyes as he tried vainly to catch his breath. "What… what was that for?"

"I got tired of waiting," he responded, moving forward to kiss her again.

"Byakuya-sama, matte…" Incapable of even a mere objection, Haru let herself be swept away by his ministrations again, pulling away for a moment and peering critically at him. "Usually, you do not even consider relinquishing your restraint. Tell me, did something happen?" Despite being the target of his affections, the efforts Byakuya was putting forth to convey them finally caught up with him. He fell against her shoulder, nearly knocking them both onto the floor, but by some miracle, Haru managed to support them both on trembling knees. Gravity took over, coaxing Haru to lean against the wall at her back. There was some distance between their bodies, but Byakuya's head still rested against her shoulder, while his left hand rested on her unoccupied right shoulder. The other was against the wall.

"I was afraid." He felt her draw a swift breath as the meaning of his confession sunk in. "I was afraid you were… going to leave." The bewilderment on her face melted instantly to a smile, and she gently wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I swear," she murmured, "for a noble and a shinigami, you certainly do act child-like sometimes."

"How is that?"

"Think about it. You have no justification for these fears of yours. I will not go anywhere without telling you, and even if I did, then I would return."

"A day without you is not a day, Haru-kun." She shifted her weight at the words, expressing an implicit yet underlying desire to see his face. Byakuya must have missed the message, for he leaned harder into her shoulder than before, causing her back to slide against the wall. She hissed slightly and tightened her grip on his own shoulders, but other than that, she took no action against him. "Sometimes, I stop and wonder… just how I lived without you."

"You're doing it again," she said with a smile.

"Nandesuka?"

"Speaking like a madman." Byakuya's lashes fluttered shut against her neck as her hand trailed along his hair. "Then again, I have always liked that part of you. When you speak frankly, I feel the need to listen, no matter how maddening the words are." Haru felt the sigh against her shoulder and allowed one to escape her own lips. "Come on," she said.

"Nani?" Haru started to move despite his objections, wrapping her hand around his and pulling him forward. "Matte, Haru-kun… where are we…?" Surprisingly enough, Haru whirled to him, smiling from ear to ear with her hands folded behind her back.

"I wish to return the favor."

Since she was the one that said it, she couldn't wonder why they were as they were in that moment. Her knees rested against the cold tile, and despite the steam in the air, she could still see his ivory skin clearly. Two sapphire eyes studied her over one pale shoulder, surprised at her fortitude and the steady manner in which she swept his obsidian locks over one shoulder and proceeded to wring the water out of the cloth. "You have done this before?"

"What would make you surmise that?"

"You are just so…" His breath hitched the moment the cloth touched his skin and began moving, propelled by her hands.

"I know," she responded softly. "I did not think I would be this calm, either, but with you, it does not seem so unusual." Detecting the tremors in his shoulders, Haru peered up at him, noticing that he was no longer staring at her. "Nani? Am I scrubbing too hard?" As an answer, he shook his head, and after a moment of deliberation, Haru decided it was nice to see him so vulnerable. She continued her task steadily, savoring every elicit gasp and sigh she extracted from him. "I have something I need to ask you. Are you listening?"

"Hai." The steadiness of his response was astounding, so much so that Haru nearly dropped the cloth. She made an upward motion swiftly enough to make his muscles tense and hunch forward in hopes that Haru would not hear his gasp.

"It is a serious question, so I ask that you give me a serious answer."

"I will try," he confessed. Smiling at the note of hesitance in his voice, Haru leaned closer to his ear. Her hands kept moving the cloth in some pattern of lines or circles that made some sense to her yet none to him.

"I would like to know… why you became a captain." Haru noticed his eyes as they stared inquisitively at her over his shoulder. What motive she had for asking such things was beyond him entirely.

"There was no option. I was born into a noble family that had been in charge of division six for centuries."

"Souka," she responded. "Perhaps I should have asked Hitsugaya-taichou."

"Just because I was born into my power does not mean it was simply handed to me," Byakuya retorted, straightening his back again. "Being a captain means having exceptional strength and fortitude, a cool head, and above all else, the knowledge of what it truly means to be a captain. I trained my body and mind for a long time just to become a shinigami. Then, I kept training more to attain bankai and further familiarize myself with Soul Society's history and policies, as well as those of the Kuchiki family. I thought I was ready. I passed the exam as required, but there was still something I lacked. Genryuusai-dono told me so, and I frustrated myself for days trying to come up with a suitable answer."

"So, did you?" she inquired.

"Now you are asking too much." Haru grinned and laughed gently, dousing the cloth in water again and allowing her eyes to fall shut. "You see, the answer is something that cannot be named or thought of."

"Then it must be a feeling."

"Nani?"

"Despite all the faculties of the human mind, I believe there are still feelings that cannot be named. Captainship is one of those feelings, I suppose, because I imagine it is different for everyone." Haru paused, staring at his skin with a serious glimmer in her eyes before raising them. "At least, that is my best guess. One must have feeling to be an effective captain, yet one must also be rational about expressing it. Without the feeling, the position becomes one of weakness rather than strength. One runs the risk of being exploited or undermined." Byakuya's eyes flashed as she lifted the bucket, rinsing his back free of lather. Having finished her task, Haru rose and turned towards the door only to be stopped by Byakuya's hand, which wrapped around her wrist tightly. Haru peered at him critically, noting the solemnity in his eyes, and turned to face him after a moment.

"There is a tradition among captains that, on their first day of work as a captain, they do something out of the ordinary."

"I know. Takumi-san mentioned it."

"So no one steers you wrong, I would like to tell you what I did." Her eyes widened at the words and at the serious look on her face. "For one day, for just one day, I wore kinagashi." Before she could prevent the image from seeping into her mind, it had, so she swiftly pulled her hands away to hide her blush. It did no good; the image remained behind her eyes.

_Byakuya-sama… doing anything so informal… is… _Haru peered at him through the gaps in her fingers. He had half turned to her, his face painted with concern. All she could picture was the image he had just presented her with. _A solid color… blue would probably suit him best, or perhaps blue-violet, with a sakura-colored obi… kuso! Stop imagining it! _

"So, you know what kinagashi is?"

"Don't say it again!" she pleaded as the image grew more vivid in her mind. "And before you even dare ask why, I'll have you know that if you do, I'll be cracking your damn skull open just as soon as I get my bath!" Before he could say anything, Haru paced towards the doorway, fully aware that Byakuya's eyes followed her all the way to the threshold. "I hope…" she said without turning around. "I hope you enjoyed it."

"Very much so," he responded. He knew she was blushing even though she was facing away from him. He could tell from the way she shut the door slightly harder than she intended. Smiling, he stood and crossed the tile to enter the bath, musing over how the steam's fingers didn't feel nearly as heavenly as Haru's had. Still, Byakuya couldn't complain. He kept a smile on his face for some time afterward, knowing that such a trivial thing made her so awkward when she had no problem doing something like washing his back. He made a mental note to himself to keep that in mind; it could be fun to tease her a little more.

* * *

Huzzah! I've finished another! You know what that means! It's time for your complementary Japanese lesson with some non sequitors tossed in for my mild amusement. Before you ask... yes, I did this while I was tired.

Nandesuka: What is it

Gomenasai: Formal apology

Hai: Yes

Sumimasen: A semi-formal apology, also meaning "excuse me."

Iie: No

Ohayogozaimasu: It looks scary, but it only means good morning. ^_^

Kawaii: Cute. A random tidbit of information: I refer to my cat as the kawaii neko because she really is cute. XD

Ano: Japanese equivalent of "um"

Hajimimashite: Pleased to meat you

Matte kudasai: Please wait (I find it strange that the Japanese have a different form of "please" for verbs… or am I wrong about this? _'

Gomen: A normal apology

Nande: Why (as in, why the heck do I keep using all this Japanese? XD)

Nani: What

Desu: Something like "this is insert name."

Moushiwake arimasen: Uber-formal apology.

Souka: I see

Onegai: Please

Arigato-gozaimasu: Formal thanks

Reishi: Spirit particles… I'm not sure how often it comes up in the show, so I thought I'd define it just in case. ^_^

Kuso: I really am disappointed in me… all these Japanese words, and not a single swear until page 20! X_X'

Matte: Wait

A note about kinagashi: Kinagashi is an extremely informal style of wearing a kimono. Typically, the kimono itself is solid in color and worn with an obi covered in a simple pattern. Unlike the typical shinigami uniform, kinagashi does not include a haori or hakama. For a nice pictorial representation, please Google it or follow this link, because this is where I got the information: .net/j_.

Well, that certainly was a lengthy chapter. I hope you all thoroughly enjoyed it. Please leave reviews to feed my ego if you have time! And if you want to tear this chapter apart, then by all means do so… but expect me to tear your review apart. I'm getting a degree in English; I'm more than capable of a little word play… hehe. I trust you guys. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! Look for chapter nine sometime before the next ice age!


	9. Chapter 9: Struggle

Readers, reviewers, fans, I have returned valiantly after a lengthy absence! For those of you who didn't get a review response from me yesterday, I apologize profusely for my lack of updates! Between classes, GRE studying, and work, I haven't had much time to do anything more than think about updating… which does you no good. At the same time, I hope this fact reassures you all that I haven't forgotten about fanfiction despite my supreme busyness of doom. A special thanks goes out to each of you, but especially to MarginalMary, who wrote me two days ago saying she missed "the metaphorical sound of [my] pen." Domo arigato!

To make up for my super long absence, I am posting a super long chapter. In fact, I think it's safe to say that this chapter is so long, it should come with its own surgeon general warning! Something along these lines:

Surgeon General Warning: 1) This chapter contains substances that may be addictive. Please use in moderation. 2) Do not use if suffering from fatigue or neck/back ache (because you won't sleep, and you'll be sitting here for more than an hour trying to read this beast. XP)

No disrespect meant to the surgeon general. They do very important work putting warnings on labels. Therefore, I declare today (July 12) to be Surgeon General Appreciation Day! Why? Because America has holidays for just about everything else. Go buy a Hallmark card (or something with a Surgeon General Warning on it) to celebrate. XP

As you can tell by my lengthy intro, I am very tired. I hope my exhaustion has done something to amuse you. Please enjoy the chapter! Remember: it's just like running a marathon. It's long and painful, but it will end eventually. XD

* * *

_Chapter 9: Struggle_

The birds chirped to greet the early morning sun as Hinamori stared out of her only window, her eyes glazed over with thoughts of the darkest brand. It bothered her most while the world was still sleeping, the memory of the look on his face as he ran her through, a smile that appeared so genuine, she had never once doubted it. Looking back on it now, she realized she was to blame for the whole thing. Had she been less trusting or more astute, Hitsugaya would not have had to suffer so much. She recalled his last visit fondly, even if he had seen a little preoccupied with something.

"It's not like you can help me," he had said. "I'm having a problem with someone, not something."

"Then maybe I can give you some advice."

"I doubt it."

"Shiro-chan…" He must have heard the note of hurt in her voice, the one that pleaded for an answer. Crossing his arms, he shut his eyes and leaned back.

"For some reason, a certain coworker of mine is frustrating me to no end. This coworker… I will not say who… seems to think they can pass as a normal shinigami, but every bone in my body tells me this person is anything but normal. A prodigy like myself… and fit for far more than paperwork."

"Oh, you must mean taichou."

"Taichou?" he stammered. "But Haru isn't a captain…"

"Really?" Hinamori inquired, tipping her head upwards in deep thought. "I could have sworn she was, or at least she seemed like one…" Now that she thought of it, she shouldn't have said anything like that without being absolutely sure. Still, it seemed natural for her to call Haru a captain because that was simply how she perceived the girl. She hadn't even considered the possibility that she had been wrong. "Ah… what if I caused trouble for her?"

"You did."

"Taichou! I didn't… hear you come in," she stammered, staring at the figure sitting beneath the window. Her arms were crossed, her eyes closed, and a stern look of consideration painted her expression.

"I had no intention of startling you, as you seemed deep in thought." Wincing, she raised a hand to her right shoulder and rubbed it.

"Daijoubu desu ka?"

"I'm afraid I can say I've been better. Toushiro-san is quite a formidable opponent, or so my muscles tell me today."

"Shiro-chan… fought you?" Haru nodded and leaned back again, her eyes opening slightly. "What… happened?"

"He was frustrated because he thought I was a captain."

"Moushiwake arimasen, taichou! I should never have said anything to him…" Hinamori covered her mouth as the eyes fully opened. There was a possibility Haru had no idea of how the youngest captain got the notion that his title was at stake. Nonetheless, there was no doubt that she knew now. Her eyes perceived the figure sitting in bed and fell shut as a heavy sigh escaped her lips.

"You know, he was the one who sent me here to see you."

"Shiro-chan?"

"Hai," Haru responded, "and he came all the way to Byakuya-sama's manor last night to give the order. He gave me the morning off so I could. If you ask me, he just wants to make you happy, Hinamori-san." She smiled at the thought, brushing her hair from her eyes when she raised them again.

"I'm happy you came, taichou, I mean…" Hinamori worked the blankets in her hands and stared at them despite Haru's placidity. "I suppose I should… stop calling you that."

"Iie… it's fine."

"Demo…" At the seriousness on Haru's face, her arguments faltered. "Are you… really a captain?" A sigh, then silence, were her only answers. The troubled shinigami leaned back and folded her arms, peering first at the corner of the room, then at the back of her eyelids. "Taichou, I…"

"It's fine," she stated again. "Really…"

"Taichou…" Despite being troubled, Haru would not allow any further objections. She stood up and clapped her hands together, smiling in her usual placid manner.

"So, tell me, when are you getting out of that bed?"

"Oh, I've already been out of bed several times, but Hajime-san urges me not to push myself."

"Souka…" Haru said, leaning against the window sill, musing for a moment over the circumstances. Around that time, a shadow passed before her eyes, and she found Hinamori standing directly in front of her. "Nandesuka?"

"Would you like to go somewhere?"

"Is that wise?" she returned.

"You look like you have cabin fever."

"Gomen," she replied. "Just thinking about all the paperwork I have left to do."

"Then let's not hesitate," Hinamori stated, pushing Haru out of the room and reappearing a moment later, clothed in a pale haori and a solid reddish-violet hakama that. The next thing she knew, she was being dragged down the hall by the girl who had a moment ago been bedridden.

"Hinamori-san, matte… matte kudasai… I mean, should you really be…"

"Come on, taichou. The sun will do us both some good." Haru had no choice but to helplessly submit. To see such a bold side of someone who, three days before, had been in a catatonic state was nothing short of a miracle. She allowed herself to smile and followed faithfully along, fortunately not meeting anyone on the short passage to the outside. Hinamori shielded her gaze as the sun came to meet it, relinquishing her grip on Haru's arm and darting forward, turning back only to grin at her nominal captain, seeming so childlike that Haru couldn't help but follow her after shutting the door. "I almost forgot how bright the sun was, sitting in that bed."

"I can only imagine," Haru responded, folding her hands in front of her as they paced forward, she in a straight line, Hinamori in some sort of nonsensical zigzag.

"It's so nice outside today!"

"It is." The response was more distant than Hinamori would have liked. Frowning, she suddenly came to a stop in front of Haru and looked critically into her face.

"Something is bothering you?"

"Only the fact that I have such a long way to go."

"Nani? You went through the academy, right?" Haru shook her head with an understanding smile. "But… then how did you become a shinigami?"

"A certain someone tricked me into taking the exam…" She hesitated before finishing and finally sighed in surrender. "The captain's exam, to be more specific." Hinamori stopped walking at those words and glanced back to Haru, who smiled and shrugged. "You see, I only came here about three months ago. Before that, I lived in a human body in the human world, but I suppose I still performed the duties of a shinigami by night. I certainly underwent the training to be one. When Ukitake-taichou first offered to let me take the exam, I couldn't refuse. I needed some way to solidify my position here, considering my heritage, and so I did not ask questions. I was led blindly into it without knowing what it actually was. I never once considered why I needed such extensive knowledge of laws and precedents to be a shinigami, nor did I consider it suspicious in the least… not until the exam was over. So…" She smiled and shrugged again at the bewildered look on Hinamori's face.

"You don't seem resentful."

"I was at first. I won't lie; leaving Byakuya-sama's side was never part of the plan. That is why I have served as his third chair and will continue doing so until circumstances push me in another direction."

"You sound…" She paused, glancing at her feet in shame. "You sound so devoted."

"I owe Byakuya-sama much. He was the one that guided me here after death. He doesn't ask for anything despite me still boarding in his manor… not that he can't afford to spare the room. However, I like to repay all my debts. I hope you will come to understand that in time." Haru considered her own words for a moment as they continued walking, raising a hand to her chin and staring at the sun. "All of my debts, hmm?" When she ceased, Hinamori came to a stop just in front of her, wishing to decode the expression, but she was never given the chance. It faded before she could even begin analyzing it when a shadow appeared behind her and touched her shoulder. Not expecting it, Haru nearly leapt out of her skin and frantically drew her sword before realizing the only threat she faced was that of her self-declared vice captain.

"What's the matter, taichou? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" she said, exasperatedly resting one hand over her heart. Around that time, Hinamori snuck behind her, peering at the taller man timidly. "Oh, he doesn't bite, or not me, at least."

"He's scary."

"Scary?" Haru inquired, folding her arms. "Please… he's not the least bit scary once you get to know him. His name is Fujiwara Takumi, and if he tries to lay a hand on you, then I'll crack his damn skull open." She instructed the somber Takumi with her eyes, and he quickly came back to life.

"Hajimimashite." Keeping his arms rigidly at his sides, he bowed low enough to demonstrate his sincerity before rising, always keeping his eyes on the timid girl behind Haru. "You must be… Hinamori Momo-san." She looked a little offended that he'd heard of her, so he quickly justified his recollection. "Taichou mentioned you briefly the other day. She seemed a little troubled, but you don't seem to be a troubling matter at all."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she retorted, suddenly a little less docile and timid than she had been. "I'll have you know I'm a vice captain!"

"Oh, yeah? Well, I'm going to be vice captain one day, too!"

"Yare, yare…" Haru shook her head and pressed a hand to it, almost as if it was in pain, but seeing her amused expression caused them to think otherwise. "Takumi-san."

"Hai?"

"How many times must I ask you to be more respectful of your superiors?"

"But she's not…"

"Takumi-san," she said sternly. Immediately, he bit is lip and bowed again, to Haru's surprise and to Hinamori's.

"Sumimasen, Hinamori-fukutaichou." Silence followed. Haru was too stunned to say anything, and Hinamori too mistrusting. With a slight leer, she grabbed Haru's left arm, which was nearest to her, and pulled gently on it, imploring her to continue moving before a member of the fourth division happened to catch them missing. Of all moments for her stomach to notify them of her hunger, it chose that one, which immediately drew Takumi into a fully standing position. He turned away, but it was too late. They both already saw him laughing.

"Hey! It's not my fault I didn't eat breakfast!"

"Sumimasen, sumimasen," he said between his laughs. "How could you forget to eat, though?"

"A foolish question, considering I forewent breakfast myself in order to visit Hinamori-san." Haru's words made him much more rigid than he had been, and he sheepishly glanced at his nominal captain, grinning and conveying a silent apology. She walked forward, digging something out of her haori and handing it to him. "It's fine. You didn't know."

"Money?" he stammered.

"Yes, Takumi-san. I do get paid for my job."

"But what do you want me to do with it?"

"What else?" she demanded, turning him around and shoving him forward. "Hinamori-san and I both need sustenance. She is in a fragile condition, and I happen to be hypoglycemic this morning."

"This morning?" he inquired.

"Yes, this morning."

"You seem fine to me."

"Hai, hai…" she said, smiling as he peered back at her. "At any rate, get me something good. And tea would be nice, if there's enough for all three of us."

"Taichou, I really can't…"

"Go on, go on! I trust your judgment!"

"But you know her better than I do. Shouldn't you be doing this sort of thing?"

"Of course not, now that I know you two don't get along." It was nice to see him slightly embarrassed. He hadn't shown that side of himself in a while, not since their first match, to be sure. The awkward remnants from a few days ago were entirely foreign to her and tainted with a seriousness beyond that which Takumi should have possessed. Still, now was no time to consider it. She returned to Hinamori and tugged gently on her arm. "Let's go."

"Did you get rid of him?"

"Iie," Haru retorted. "He's coming back with breakfast. Let's go this way."

"De… demo, taichou…"

"Relax," she reassured the hesitant vice captain. "If anything happens, I'll take the blame for it, all right?" Seclusion was easy to find, and once they found it, Hinamori proceeded to sit with her legs folded under her, as Haru stretched one arm over her head and tilted her palms upward for a moment.

"Ano…" Shyly, she gestured to the wooden sword at Haru's side. "Is that… your zanpakutoh?"

"Hai."

"But isn't it… just a wooden sword?" A smile was the only answer she received. Haru stretched her arms over her head casually, twisting her shoulder slightly before removing the sword from her obi and tossing it to Hinamori, who caught it awkwardly, having not held a sword for several months. She nearly lost her balance trying to hold it up, but when it began to drop, Haru's hand caught it in the center, keeping it suspended.

"There is a reason this sword is so heavy." Haru seized the hilt with her other hand and tightened her grip on the sheath before yanking the sword free, pointing its tip towards the sun and studying the golden-white light racing along its blade. Hinamori stood for a moment, analyzing the blade with her eyes while her face slowly became a picture of awe as they continued walking after their brief respite. Her hands, which still loosely enclosed Suzaku's empty hilt, fell back to her sides. "You see, that is precisely the conclusion I hope my enemies make upon first seeing it. There is nothing quite like the element of surprise, and to be honest, I never get tired of seeing reactions when I pull it out for the first time. I still remember Byakuya-sama's… something between silent astonishment and wrath." Even if the mere thought was terrifying to Hinamori, it brought a smile to Haru's face.

"You seem to speak of him a lot."

"Only because I am around him so much," Haru replied. "The sixth division, the Kuchiki manor… it seems he and I are pretty much in the same place at the same time constantly." They settled again, this time beneath a tree whose leaves were beginning to change color. Several littered the area around the tree's base, but it bothered neither Haru nor her companion as they sat down with their legs folded beneath them.

"Do you admire him?"

"I do. He always challenges me when we spar. Every time, I find myself wondering where he comes up with his techniques, but then again, I have befuddled him a number of times as well."

"Souka," Hinamori responded softly. "Is he training you for anything?"

"I think it is more for recreation. Additionally, Byakuya-sama feels the need to stay in practice, and being a guest at his manor, I feel the need to oblige him. At least then, I feel like I am doing something for him." Her violet eyes fell shut as she adjusted her glasses, pushing them up the bridge of her nose with one hand so the cross on her wrist caught the light. She kept them closed for a moment, musing over Byakuya, until that heavenly image came into her mind again and made her press her hands against her face. "Kuso! Why does he have to be such a pain in the ass, saying things like that…" It was then that she remembered Hinamori's presence and smiled uneasily at the vice captain. "Ano… sumimasen."

"Taichou, do you… is Kuchiki-taichou…"

"It isn't like that," Haru replied swiftly, shaking her head and waving her hands. "Iie… not at all…" At that precise moment, a hand fell heavily on her head, forcing her to bow beneath its pressure.

"You know, you really suck at lying, taichou."

"Takumi-san!"

"You can't deny it. You two practically act like a married couple, he's always staring at you, and since I walked in on you two the other day, there's no denying it."

"Takumi-san…"

"Come on…"

"You're teasing me!"

"Took ya long enough," he retorted, grinning from ear to ear until he saw the startled expression on Hinamori's face. Only then did he grow serious again and settle on Haru's right side, extending the bag of provisions without so much as another glimpse in her direction. Haru, who was working to smooth her hair, took the bag out of his grasp and opened it, handing one cup to Hinamori and another to Takumi before removing the last one for her own purposes.

"Ramen?" Haru inquired.

"I didn't know what else to get. Of course, with your refined palette, I don't think you'll find such a thing suitable…" The silence only fell when Haru snapped her chopsticks in half and began the delicate art of consumption.

"For your information, Takumi-san, I lived on this stuff for two years in the human world. Just because I am a noble does not mean I dined like one." Hinamori folded her hands and muttered her thanks before digging in herself, and Takumi followed suit, leaning casually against the tree at an angle with his legs extended and his cup in his hand.

"Honestly," he said through a mouth of half-chewed noodles, "I can't believe you still like the stuff."

"I am a little surprised myself," Hinamori murmured.

"How so?"

"Well," she answered softly, "for one thing, you seem to be enjoying something so simple, for another, you just said you were a noble, and as if that weren't enough, you and Kuchiki-taichou…" She gasped slightly, glancing at Haru fretfully while she continued. "Aren't you still working for him?"

"I am his third seat, so of course I am."

"But what if you get in trouble for this?"

"I have ways of making him forgive me," she said with a cryptic smile.

"I don't think I even want to know," Takumi retorted. It took Haru a moment to derive his implications, which she mainly did based on Hinamori's mortified expression, and without a moment's warning, she drove her sheathed sword straight down onto his skull.

"Jeez! Be careful, or I'm going to spill it! What the hell was that for?"

"You and your filthy mind," Haru answered. "You can speak however you want when I am not around, but I expect you to be civil at the very least when Hinamori-san is. Though she is not willing to say it herself, I do not think she is very fond of your conceptions regarding my methods for gaining forgiveness."

"Then how do you?"

"Easy," she answered. "I just spar him. Contrary to popular belief, he does not stay angry for long."

"What happens when he finds out you're a captain, then?"

"Nothing, because as I have already told you, I am not a captain." This time, Takumi didn't deny the validity of her point because she had that steely bite in her tone, the one that notified him he was asking too many questions. She shut her eyes and sipped her broth, considering again the circumstances, until that image drove its way between her and her thoughts, bringing that subtle blush to her face again.

"What's that look for, hmm?" Takumi inquired, having recovered from the blow, but Haru didn't answer at first. She rested her sword in the crook of her arm and pressed her now free hand to the side of her face, keeping her awkward eyes on her distorted reflection in the broth. As much as she didn't want to think about it, she just kept thinking about it.

_Kuso… _she thought. _This particular image… why does it haunt me? I mean, I washed his back, for heaven's sakes. He was wearing practically nothing, but that doesn't bother me in the least. Hmm… perhaps such a level of informality is so unusual for Byakuya-sama that I can easily picture it without expecting to see it. _Haru appeared to have gone into some sort of trance, or at the very least entered some sort of internal dialogue, so Takumi glanced to Hinamori for some kind of an answer. She could only shrug and go back to eating for a moment.

"I had no idea things had gotten so serious between them," Takumi said quietly.

"Nani?" she inquired.

"Oh, gomen… just thinking aloud."

"About what?" Tipping his cup again, he rested his back against the tree and turned one eye towards Hinamori. That disdain still lingered behind them, but it didn't show as strongly as it had before.

"Tell me, does Byakuya seem like the kind of person who could really feel for someone?"

"I know he was married once," Hinamori murmured. "But his wife died about fifty years ago, so I can't really say it's impossible."

"Really?" he asked. "Then what would you say if I told you he did it again?"

"So he and taichou really are…"

"To be honest, it's hard to say exactly what their relationship is," Takumi admitted. "I mean, she does live with him and everything, but I can't get past that stoic nature of his and that placid innocence of hers." He frowned as he took another bite, sighing heavily as his eyes drifted out of sight. "I guess it's not really my business, but if he does anything to hurt her, I'll take that scarf of his and strangle him with it."

"Fujiwara-san!"

"You don't understand. He's done it before. She almost killed herself taking revenge for him… she even got her hands pretty filthy in the process, taking down that arrancar. She even watched Shimori die because he asked her to fill in for Tatsuo when an evaluation day came around. If she hadn't, I can almost guarantee you she wouldn't have been…" Around that time, he stopped, simply because he realized Haru was listening. Her head was still bent towards the cup, but one vibrant silvery eye was positioned towards him.

"Byakuya-sama had no fault in Shimori-san's death, or in my decision to destroy the arrancar that killed him. It was my fault because the only reason the arrancar came in the first place was for me. My fault… that is one debt I can never repay. He died in my place."

"Taichou…"

"It's fine," she responded, looking to Hinamori. "I can't let it bother me. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to say I learned something from it." The magnitude of sorrow in her eyes was pitiful and became even more so when she spoke. "And I cannot blame you for holding a grudge either, Takumi-san, but I am not the only one who has endured the pain of solitude and the even greater pain of loss. That is why…" Haru took another bite of ramen, finished chewing it, and turned her solemn eyes skyward. "That is why I have to be strong enough to keep living. If I died knowing he was going to be left alone, then I would hate myself at the very end of things. Now," she stated, tipping her cup and draining it of broth, then continuing with her consumption of the noodles, "no more serious talk, all right? I brought Hinamori-san out here so she could relax and clear her mind, not so I could bore and depress her with these stories of the past."

"But taichou," she said, seizing the left wrist so near her and raising it so they could both see the broken cross dangling from it. "I want to know why you wear this."

"Do you?" she inquired.

"Come to think of it, you never told me, either," Takumi stated.

"Oh, come on. You know damn well why…"

"Come on, taichou… please?"

"But it's a long story," Haru interjected, waving her hands. "To tell the whole thing I would need hours, and I'm afraid we don't have those."

"You said you had ways of making him forgive you," Takumi stated.

"And I can just tell Hajime-san you took me out for a little bit and lost track of time."

"Demo…" Before she could interject again, Takumi got to his feet and perched on the branch just above her head. "Takumi-san, what the hell are you doing up there?"

"I like being in high places, so I'll listen from here."

"If you fall on me, I'll crack your damn skull open."

"Unless the fall does it for you," he responded, grinning as he leaned against the tree. "I'm all ears, taichou." Hinamori leaned closer to show she was listening, her eyes eager, and Haru, having no choice but to relate what little she knew of her family, rubbed the back of her head and submitted to their desire.

"So, you want to know why I wear a broken relic like this on my left arm? Well, the story doesn't begin with me. It goes back hundreds of years into the past…"

* * *

The day was peaceful. Enough sunlight shone through the window in Unohana's office that she didn't need any other light. With Isane working equally hard on the task at hand and the most rambunctious squad members checking on patients, it was a moment of sheer relaxation that she took every effort to savor. She knew such moments passed quickly, that they never lasted quite as long as she desired them to, so when things remained quiet for a full half an hour, she began to grow impatient for an interruption. Nonetheless, she continued filling out her paperwork until the exact moment her office door flew open. "Unohana-taichou!" Relieved of the silence, she rested her brush in the ink well and gazed at the figure standing in the doorway.

"Ah, Hajime-san, what brings you here?"

"I… it's terrible! Just terrible! I'll lose my seat because of this… iie, I'll lose my place in the division… iie, iie! I'll be expelled from Soul Society due to this grievous oversight!"

"Hajime-san," she said calmly, "I am certain you will lose nothing. Now, please be so kind as to tell me what happened."

"Well, that is…" He cleared his throat, realizing how preposterous he sounded, and attempted to at least put on a show of being calm, but it was impossible considering the circumstances. "I went to check on Hinamori-san a few minutes ago, to bring her some tea and another dosage…"

"Hai."

"And I knew Haru-sama was in this morning visiting her because she asked to be let in a little before visiting hours. Knowing how busy I was, I couldn't turn her away…"

"Hai."

"But when I opened the door, there was no one there!"

"So, one of my patients has left the premises without permission, and with Byakuya-sama's third seat, no less."

"That's why I'm so worried!" Hajime cried, putting his hands on his head and giving an exasperated sigh.

"Haru-san does not seem the type of person to set Hinamori-san's recovery back at all…"

"Iie, it isn't that. It's just… Haru-sama has always been a target for hollows and other shinigami because of who she is, and that mark on her back…" Realizing what he had said, he covered his mouth and began apologizing to Haru, who wasn't even present, because he knew he had violated his promise.

"Hajime-san," Unohana said in a voice that restored his composure. "In case you don't recall, I am also aware of that peculiar mark on her back. It is a matter of great interest to me, and I have been pouring my extra hours into researching it."

"Unohana-taichou, what should we do? Hinamori-san is still too weak to withstand long bouts away from the infirmary. If she should have a relapse…"

"That is unlikely," Unohana replied, setting her brush aside and rising from her chair. "Haru-san is with her, and from what I can tell, if she is reasonable enough to forego treatment in order to ensure the survival of one whose injuries were far more grievous, then I imagine she will not push Hinamori beyond her limits."

"Demo…"

"However, if you are so concerned, then I will go look for them and request Hinamori's immediate return."

"Iie… that is…" He rubbed his head and bowed. "Gomenasai. I should not have disturbed your work."

"Then you agree with me that it is better for Hinamori-san to see the world she left behind?" Unohana settled herself again and glanced over the form before making some sort of mark on it. Hajime fixed his eyes on her despite remaining bowed. "In order to fully heal, Hinamori must learn to enjoy the world she left behind during her coma. I think Haru-san will help her do that. Wouldn't you agree?" She smiled in a motherly manner at the bewildered Hajime, who stood and glanced at her with questioning eyes. "I cannot see them doing anything too strenuous considering Haru-san is still recovering herself. It has hardly been more than week since she staggered in with Ichigo."

"Then is it really such a good idea to let her take on so much work? I mean, from what I have heard, she is working for Hitsugaya-taichou in the mornings and Kuchiki-taichou in the afternoons."

"Unfortunately, that decision is beyond us entirely, Hajime," she replied with another smile. "It is unfortunate that she should be so busy just after receiving wounds of that degree and number, but she seems to be handling herself. Should she collapse from fatigue, then I will make it my business to see it does not happen again. Until she does, though, we can do nothing."

"Haru-sama… must have it difficult, working for two divisions at the same time. I almost want to thank Hitsugaya-taichou for letting her have the morning off." He paused after saying the name, as if he had forgotten something related to it. Upon remembering, he whirled towards the door. "Kuso! He wants to see Hinamori-san immediately!"

"I would recommend stalling him for as long as possible and pray that they return before he catches on. Despite what you may think, he does worry about Hinamori quite a bit."

"Hai," he replied, bowing and excusing himself. The peace settled in again, allowing Unohana to return to her neglected paperwork. As Hajime's panicked reiatsu drifted farther away, she paused to ask herself how long silence would remain this time.

* * *

"Kuso," he muttered, glaring at the ground as he walked briskly through the streets. Every now and then, one of the subordinate shinigami would shout a greeting to him, which he would wave off in silence. There were more important things to focus on at the moment. "Those ingrates at the fourth division letting her go out already… and beating around the bush for over half an hour… honestly, if they'd known it would have pissed me off, why did they insist on letting her go in the first place?" Then again, Hinamori's ward was not entirely to blame if his words possessed any sort of truth in them.

"Sumimasen, Hitsugaya-taichou… Hinamori is unable to except visitors at this time."

"Souka," he returned. "Then why is Haru allowed in?"

"Well, actually…" The young man seemed to perceive the suspicions in his tone and cleared his throat as if to provide an apology to someone who wasn't there. "Neither of them are in right now." A pause indicated Hitsugaya was confused on the meaning of those words, and he continued with a bowed head. "They actually… snuck out some time this morning and haven't come back yet. Even so, Unohana-taichou said there was no reason to worry…"

"No reason to worry," he echoed. "Aizen could come down here any minute and sway her to his side. She would lose everything. I can't let that happen, and with Haru still recovering…" He paused and considered it. _Come to think of it, she seemed fine when she fought me the other day. Even so, if I want something done right, I have to do it myself. _With an exasperated sigh, he rounded the corner only to nearly collide with someone, leaping back at the last moment and peering at the figure. "Kuchiki-taichou?" He peered at the shorter captain critically and blinked in understanding before letting his eyes fall shut. "What are you doing?"

"It is my understanding that Haru-kun did not come to your office this morning but instead went gallivanting off with my seventh seat, who also failed to show up, and furthermore removed a patient from the infirmary without permission."

"How did you know all that?"

"Haru-kun is late, and she is never late," he responded. "I surmised you asked her to see Hinamori Momo today because you came to the gate last night. As for my seventh seat, he seems rather attached to Haru-kun. We should find them before they cause any trouble."

Byakuya would only made the search more complicated, but Hitsugaya murmured an affirmative and continued walking. For one thing, something about Byakuya's presence had always bothered him a bit. Perhaps it was the overbearing magnitude of stoicness in every movement he made, or perhaps it was something else entirely. Either way, it was something he could get over, though it still ate at his concentration in a subtle manner. They paced through the streets, always trying to sense the presence of the delinquents, but to no avail. Hinamori was still recovering, so it was understandable that any perception of her reiatsu would be weak. As for Haru, her concealment of reiatsu was so close to perfection, it did no good to search most of the time. Then, there was Takumi, who seemed not to expel or possess the slightest trace. Sighing with irritation, Hitsugaya raised his eyes to the sun and stopped walking. "This is pointless," he retorted in an undertone Byakuya could hardly hear. "We don't even know where we're going."

"I am not certain what you mean," he answered. "I am going to retrieve Haru-kun. You are going to retrieve Hinamori. What is so complicated about that?"

"It wouldn't be complicated if we knew where they were."

"If we knew, it would not be much of a hunt, would it?" A flicker of frustration dragged across the elder captain's eyes. "Perhaps that is why I enjoy her company so much. She is constantly challenging me in ways I never even knew I could be challenged. To lack such knowledge of my own abilities, and to have her demonstrate of my own unawareness… sometimes, I wonder what Haru-kun intends to communicate when she gives me those subtle reminders that, despite my age and my position, I still have much to learn."

"Nobody knows everything," he retorted. "Not even prodigies. Don't think that makes her any different than anyone else, because it doesn't. There are things she doesn't know, too, things I would rather her not find out the hard way." Hitsugaya never specified those things, and to signify he wouldn't, he folded his arms with difficulty. Apparently, the Kuchiki didn't feel like asking questions or waiting for him. He kept walking, this time with renewed resolve. "Where are you going?"

"To retrieve Haru-kun."

"You don't know where she is." He gave Hitsugaya an insipid look before continuing on, and eventually, the white-haired captain darted after him. "Kuchiki-taichou, I don't understand any of this. Why so much trouble for just one girl?" His glance indicated his confusion on the meaning of Hitsugaya's words, so he proceeded to explain himself. "I know Yamamoto-soutaichou selected you to retrieve her in the first place, but he never specified the reason, and you never asked. You just went. And you could have thrown her out a long time ago, but you didn't. I'm just trying to avoid a misunderstanding." Byakuya still said nothing, preferring silence to speaking even though he knew perfectly well what Hitsugaya was asking him. He silently deemed it none of his coworker's business. After all, he shouldn't have to justify himself; he was a Kuchiki. "What would you do if she was in danger?"

"Haru-kun can take care of herself."

"I'm serious," he retorted. "What if she couldn't protect herself from the danger? Would you save her?"

"I can imagine no danger Haru-kun cannot protect herself from."

"What about the Espada? Ichimaru? Tousen? Aizen?"

"They are trivial."

"Trivial?" Hitsugaya demanded in a voice louder than he intended. "Don't speak of your third seat as if she were invincible."

"Are you not convinced of her strength, Hitsugaya-taichou?" He gave the shorter captain a critical glare before returning his eyes to his current path. "Perhaps you should fight her again."

"That's not it! It's just…" Byakuya had no intention of talking, however. He turned his gaze ahead with an air of forced silence and continued on his designated path, his steps more full of certainty than before as they wandered off the road and towards a small growth of trees. Hitsugaya swallowed his objections despite the condescending flavor in his mouth and took satisfaction that the Kuchiki was forced to duck under several branches. When Byakuya paused, it was only to give Hitsugaya another authoritative glare, this one ordering that he follow silently. Having no choice but to obey, Hitsugaya did so and entered a clearing with Byakuya, walking up beside the noble and examining the almost endearing scene of Haru resting on her side, using her elbow as a pillow and bathing in the sun as she dozed. Near her was Hinamori in much the same position, but her sleep seemed far deeper and far more placid than Haru's. Takumi was not in sight, nor could either of the captains sense him nearby.

Immediately, Hitsugaya was touched with regret. It wasn't right to force her to work as hard as everyone expected her to, for it seemed the labors had finally taken their toll. Nonetheless, he was determined to teach her everything she needed to know about being a captain. Clenching a fist, he let out a subtle sigh through his clenched teeth and half-considered leaving, at least until he saw Hinamori was actually awake. She sat up and stretched a bit, rubbing her eyes so she could focus clearly on the captains before her. "Kuchiki-taichou? Shiro-chan?" Surprised at such an informal greeting, Byakuya cast one questioning eye to the mortified Hitsugaya, who quickly demanded that she call him Hitsugaya-taichou, or at the very least Toushiro-san. "Ah, gomenasai," she stated, bowing her head in forgiveness. "I guess I'm still a little forgetful. I hope I haven't caused too much trouble."

"You?"

"Hai," she answered hesitantly. "You see, going out today was my idea. She…" Hinamori indicated Haru with her gaze. "She looked a little troubled, and since I was feeling well, I wanted to raise her spirits a bit, but it seems all I've done is worry you and Kuchiki-taichou. Please forgive me."

"Hinamori…" This certainly was an unexpected twist in things. Haru was not to blame for the excursion after all, other than having been the alibi Hinamori needed to escape for a day and reconnect with the world she left behind. She got to her feet and paced towards Hitsugaya, smiling amiably at him and bowing her head again. A trace of uncertainty raced through her as Byakuya's shadow moved past her. He paused once it touched Haru's face, his brows furrowing when he realized she was wearing those confounded glasses again. It was the first time either of them had seen Byakuya get down on his knees, and his hand reached forward with unshakable certainty, coming closer and closer to those meddlesome frames.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Hitsugaya jolted slightly, namely over Haru's manner of addressing Byakuya, whose fingers twitched in shock at the two violet orbs that were suddenly peering at him. He reached forward again, but Haru sat up before his hand could reach its target, pushing the glasses up the bridge of her nose and bowing her head. "I am sorry, but you cannot take this pair from me, Kuchiki-taichou. You see, it would be troublesome for Ichi-nii to bring me more since they stopped making these particular frames several years ago."

"I will not let you hide from me."

"Whoever said I intended to hide? Perhaps my eyes are going bad from looking at all those forms everyday." Another trace of guilt raced through Hitsugaya, but Byakuya failed to notice and Haru chose to overlook it. "It can't be helped, I suppose…" She moved her head just enough for Byakuya to miss his target and peered at him critically through her glasses. "I will remove them when we get back to the office. Will that satisfy you?" Having no choice but to accept the compromise, he let his hand drop to his lap with a slight sigh. "Gomenasai. Did I worry you?" The odium on his face only made her smile. "I will not let you hide from me," she quipped, watching as Byakuya got to his feet and turned away with slight irritation.

"Haru-kun, we're going."

"Hai," she answered, dusting the grass and leaves off of her hakama and beginning forward only to have him turn unexpectedly and lift a lingering leaf out of her hair.

"Next time, be more thorough," he murmured, brushing it against her face. Her cheeks turned just as red as the leaf at his tone and his ministration, which brought that familiar ghost of a smile.

"Baka!" she shouted, turning him around and pushing him forward. "The paperwork won't do itself, you know. Come on, come on…"

"Ano… taichou…" Hinamori paused, not knowing whether or not she had made a mistake, but Byakuya assumed she meant him since she was looking in this general direction. "Fujiwara is gone." Haru stopped trying to force Byakuya into a march and whirled around to examine the empty branch where he had been perched before they fell into slumber. "If you want me to, I can go look for him."

"Iie," Haru answered with a smile. "I would like you to return to the infirmary. Toushiro-san, if it is not too much trouble, could you escort her?"

"It's on the way back, so I guess I can."

"Arigato," she replied. Before she could get far, she felt a hand close around her arm, one that stopped her in her tracks simply due to the quiver working through it. Casting one eye over her shoulder at Byakuya, she tried to read whatever message he was trying to communicate with his eyes. Haru then looked briefly to Hinamori and Hitsugaya, gauging their reactions. Neither of them had seen him reach so readily for someone else in their brief encounters with him. She couldn't help but smile and bow her head. "How much of the paperwork is left?"

"I can have it done in an hour and a half."

"Then I suppose I shall allow you to accompany me only if you promise not to get involved." Her message was cryptic, and he accepted the terms without understanding their meaning. Keeping a hold of her arm, Byakuya walked alongside her, not bothering to take any final notice of Hitsugaya or Hinamori, but as he pulled her forward, Haru turned around and smiled her farewell before matching his footfall to his. She was almost relieved that they were staying behind since she had no desire to answer questions. "Honestly," she retorted once they were out of earshot, "doing things like that… people might begin to think…"

"Let them think."

"I wish you would start thinking about your reputation," Haru retorted.

"Did I not tell you I would forsake it?"

"That is not a very responsible decision," she responded. The Kuchiki challenged her with a glance but said nothing. He simply enjoyed the scent of fall and the leaves beneath their feet, the way they rustled no matter how Haru stepped. Her feet were impeccable at keeping quiet, so it was very seldom that he heard them make any sort of noise. The paperwork didn't matter at the moment. "At any rate, I don't see why you decided to come."

"He is my nanaseki." The way Haru glanced at him, he was certain she had forgotten. Nonetheless, she made no objection as they wove through the trees. "Are you certain he went this way?"

"I would be willing to bet he didn't originally," she replied. "He brought us ramen for brunch since neither Hinamori-san nor I had any sort of breakfast this morning." Cautiously, Haru glanced at Byakuya, whose serious grimace had grown even more serious. "By the way, I feel the need to apologize for leaving so abruptly this morning, so… please forgive me."

"Oh, I will forgive you…"

"You say that like there's a catch." The expression on Haru's face was so irate that he almost did smile, but no… that was something he could only do behind closed doors. He gifted her with the mere ghost as they continued on their way.

"You will tell me exactly what is going on." Haru peered at him quizzically, then sighed with reluctance.

"If I could, then I would." Byakuya stopped walking, drawing Haru to a stop beside him.

"Do you no longer trust me, Haru-kun?"

"Iie… it's nothing like that. I was just asked to keep quiet." To enforce the reassurance, Haru smiled and even went so far as to touch the side of his face. "You will be one of the first to know, Byakuya-sama. That much, I can promise you. Perhaps not the first, but one of the first… does that satisfy you?" That familiar look of struggle came into his eyes, and before Haru could withdraw, he had gently pressed his lips against hers, drawing away just as quickly to take in the bewildered look on her face.

"Sukidayo, Haru-kun." He almost did smile at that point, considering how red her face had turned, but in his nature of being merciless, he didn't give her time to fully recover. He took her hand in his and pulled her forward until she gathered his request and walked beside him, eyes averted and face still flushed. "You look as if you are enjoying yourself."

"You are the absolute worst," Haru stated.

"Still, if you enjoy the worst, then what does that make you?"

"A damn fool is what, and I am for staying with you so long. Then again…" Haru peered at the gaps in the trees overhead. "I would be just as foolish to leave, considering I enjoy it so much." The placidity remained on her face for an instant. They exited the grove and came to a clearing, but just before they entered, Haru pulled her arm free of Byakuya's grasp, stepping ahead despite his obvious irritation with her audacity.

"Haru-kun, I would prefer you stay behind me."

"You promised you would not interfere."

"I never said…"

"But by accompanying me, you implicitly adhered to my request. Therefore, I humbly ask that you allow me to handle this, Byakuya-sama." It was true that Byakuya had a considerable amount of pride, that he could not stomach orders from anyone except Genryuusai, and he would not listen to requests unless they were from his advisers. In that moment, however, he had no second thought of going against her words since they were confident and full of foreboding. Haru drew a breath and took one step forward, stepping on an unseen twig beneath the leaves and apparently startling the balled up Takumi into raising his eyes. Reconsidering it, he bent his head again, gasping at the effort he was putting forth for whatever the reason. The way his hands were, Byakuya could see something peculiar, something that had not been there before: charcoal colored lines that weaved around each other in jagged swirls and stopped just short of his fingers.

"Takumi-san," Haru called casually, though Byakuya still detected that note of determined certainty in her tone, "it is time to go back." He didn't glance up, nor did he provide any signal that he recognized the voice. Instead, he hugged his knees closer and avoided interacting at all costs. She paused for an instant, debating on what course of action she should take, and began walking forward again. A silent warning passed through the air, and Haru placed one hand on the hilt of her zanpakutoh.

"Stay back," he ordered without raising his head. Perceiving the words yet taking no heed of them, she continued forward, her eyes flashing behind her glasses. Suzaku pulsed once, drawing her hand to the sword's hilt with a purpose beyond that of releasing her sword from its prison.

"What will you do if I keep moving forward?"

"Just stay back."

"I won't," Haru responded, pacing slowly forward. "You see, your captain requests your return, and if you shall not come willingly, then I will have to force you." She started counting her steps, listening to see if they conveyed any doubt, and finding none, she continued at an even pace that implied neither threat nor fear. Nothing happened until the sixth step, when her shadow touched his, and he moved so fast, she could scarcely perceive his movements as he shot to his feet, drew his sword, and prepared to hew her head from her shoulders. "Stay where you are!" she ordered when she detected Byakuya's movement. "Draw that sword, and you will suffer a loss more dear than your own life."

Haru had been with Byakuya for several months. He had seen almost every side of her he could imagine existed from the timid fear to the awkwardness she felt when confronted with large portions of society's prominent figures. He had seen strong smiles and subtle vulnerabilities no untrained eye could catch. Already, he felt as if he had known her far longer than he had, but when those words cut through the air, they were enough to draw an evident expression of shock to his face. His steps came to a stop before they even began. The sword moved closer to her neck, making Byakuya even more conflicted. _Move, _he pleaded silently. _Move…_ But no matter how many times he silently implored her to relinquish her current position in that infinitesimally brief yet eternal moment, Haru stood her ground unwaveringly and without blinking.

Fortune's hand stopped the blade just before it began its fatal journey through Haru's flesh. Nothing moved for one incredibly weighty instant, not until a sigh of relief escaped Byakuya. "Are you going to kill me?" Haru inquired in a tone that made him silently recant his exhalation. It was the way she spoke after severing all ties she had with feeling. The only sound rushing through the empty air was Takumi's breathing, sharp and shallow as if he had just put forth an incredible amount of force. "Do it."

"Haru-kun…"

"Was my request not clear enough, or must I repeat myself?" she retorted, her arms remaining rigidly at her sides. Detecting her frustration, Byakuya withdrew any further comments he may have made, even when she tilted her head and indicated her neck with her index finger. "This is where you need to cut. If you're going to do it, then do it." As she spoke, she only saw his eyes and the demonic azure that filled them. His sword trembled incessantly for a moment until his breathing faltered. Then, it slid out of his hands, striking the ground with a dull thud as its wielder came to kneel beside it, bowing his head in complete shame. Haru watched as the charcoal lines on his hands faded, leaving nothing behind but the trembling flesh of one who found freedom in imprisonment. After another moment of observation, she decided he needed a moment alone, but prior to vacating the premises, his hand shot out and closed around her wrist. Takumi guided it to his eyes, which were still downcast; at least that way, he was looking at some part of her as he spoke.

"It has to be you," he said. Something warm and moist struck her hand, summoning her full attention. Though he wouldn't look up, the desperate undertone in his words grew as he spoke. "It has to be you, you and no one else. You're the only one…"

"You really shouldn't say things like that out of context, not with Byakuya-sama standing right there." The name only made his grasp tighter, almost to the point that she winced, but she remained steady despite the awkwardness hanging in the air. "I'd like to help you, Takumi-san, and I would if I had some kind of explanation, but something tells me you are not ready to give me one yet, so…" She dropped into a crouch and poked his forehead with one index finger, using just enough force to allow her a glimpse of his eyes. "Until then, I'm afraid you're just going to have to use this." His eyes, teary though they were, widened when he saw the expression on her face, the placid and undaunted smile of one who acknowledged her lack of a right to judge him. He considered her words for a moment before bowing his head and releasing his hold on her wrist. His hand immediately fell to the ground. "Please take a moment to compose yourself, Takumi-san."

"But…" his voice became low. "Byakuya won't…"

"I told you before, didn't I?" Haru replied, standing to her full height. "I have my ways of dealing with him. Just let me handle it, all right?"

"Hai," he murmured, bowing his head again under the weight of what he had almost done. Sighing with relief, Haru turned and paced towards Byakuya, still smiling at seeing him in such a vulnerable state. The speechless Byakuya was petrified with shock until Haru touched his arm and pulled him gently in the direction of the office, and having no choice but to succumb, he followed her until they at last matched their paces. Haru gave him a side glance, still smiling at the odious look on his face. "I realize you are frustrated, but I can assure you, nothing of that nature is going on between us."

"That is not what it looked like."

"Still, appearances can be deceiving," Haru quipped, hugging his arm a little tighter. "Did I seem frightened to you at all?"

"You were not."

"In all honesty, I was a touch concerned because I did not know what to expect, and when he drew his sword, I sincerely thought I was going to die for a moment."

"Then why did you not move?" he said, touching his forehead as if he had a headache.

"Moving would not have accomplished anything," she replied. "One must know when to move and when to stand still. At any rate, I told him he could have a few moments to compose himself. He will do us no good if he is in a sorry state of mind."

"I am somewhat pleased with your actions and yet somewhat vexed. Considering you took the initiative and usurped my authority at the same time, I find no reason that I should not have mixed emotions." He felt Haru squeeze his arm again and peered down at her. The cleverness in her smile was undeniable, but it only drew him to a halt. Byakuya attempted to free himself of her grasp with startling determination.

"I am merely going to convince him that going back to the division is good for his health."

"Come on. Let him have some time. I will make it worth your while." When he persisted in his efforts, Haru closed one fist around his scarf to get his attention. He was in one of those moods, and the only thing that would remedy it was a fight, but Haru had already exhausted herself in her nonviolent quarrel with Takumi. Despite his determination, Byakuya's eyes remained locked on her, smoldering from the encounter that took place prior to her detection of his seventh seat. "I'll let you wash my back, and what's more, I promise not to squirm like I did last time." The seriousness of the offer nearly stopped him in his tracks and surprised him more than the offer itself. She could see the heat in his eyes, the burning desire racing across those typically stoic orbs. "As I thought," she responded, folding her arms. "I have made you an offer you can't refuse."

"It would be nearly impossible to refuse you, Haru-kun." When she peered at him to ask him why, he gifted her with a brief smile that accompanied his reply: "Do not ask me the reason, Haru-kun. I have already told you why."

* * *

The paperwork was done in an hour and a half, as promised. Byakuya ordered Renji to stay late despite his entirely valid point that Byakuya's absences were growing more frequent and longer in duration. The unfairness Renji identified was ignored by the stoic captain, who made a concise comment regarding the exact number of times Renji had been tardy in the past. Grumbling, the redhead returned to his office, slamming the door slightly louder than he usually did, but with three of them working through the forms, the time passed rather quickly despite the ensuing silence. "There," Renji said, setting the last of them in order. "The damn paperwork is done. Can I go home now?"

"Aren't you forgetting something, Renji?" Byakuya stated.

"Huh? Oh, fine… can I go home _please_?"

"I was referring to your expletive."

"The hell?" he shouted, forgetting for a moment who he was shouting at. He thrust a finger towards Haru, who was kneeling in her usual position with her eyes closed and her sword propped against her shoulder. "She swears all the damn time! Why haven't you given her any shit about it?" Byakuya leered at him and uttered his complaints in a serious tone.

"That is excessive even for you. Congratulations on outdoing yourself, Renji." He fumed at his captain's tone of voice, but despite their spat, Haru did not stir, being as deep in thought as she was. There was nothing he could do to convince Byakuya that letting him return to his quarters was a good thing, so he could only wait for the captain to say something himself. After a mere two seconds, he gave a groan, urging time to move just a little faster.

At the same exact moment the office door slid open, pushed rapidly from someone on the outside, Haru's eyes shot open, shimmering a threatening and serious shade of violet despite the sinking sun. Yet at the moment, she lacked the power to speak, knowing whose office she now sat in. "You have a considerable amount of audacity coming here," Byakuya said in his usual deadpan. "I will not excuse you for your actions today, nanaseki." Renji had no idea what was going on, but he knew now wasn't the time to be asking whether or not he could leave. The tension hung thickly in the air.

"I don't want excused," he retorted. "I'm here to see her, not you."

"Kisama…"

"Byakuya-sama," Haru stated, getting to her feet and tucking her sword into her obi, "it is fine. I asked him to come when he was ready, so…" She left the sentence hanging, not knowing what else to say and not desiring to challenge his power any farther. Fortunately, the imploring in her voice subdued enough of his anger to make him release his hold on Senbonzakura. Byakuya's eyes were sharp even without the blade accompanying them. "If you would permit it, Byakuya-sama, I would like a moment alone with Takumi-san."

"I will not."

"That's fine," he retorted, crossing the threshold and shutting the door behind him. "The explanation I have to offer isn't just for her ears even though she was the one that asked for it. Make yourselves comfortable… it's going to take a little time."

"Oh, for the love of…"

"Renji-san," Haru said firmly. "May I be so bold as to recommend a little thing called patience to you? I understand you are frustrated because Byakuya-sama and I keep abandoning the office. I am the ultimate cause of that frustration since he only left to find me. Therefore, I must apologize for causing you so much trouble." She bowed slightly, staring at the shadows on the floor before raising her eyes to the vice captain. "Please accept my humble apology, Abarai-fukutaichou." A grin worked its way over his expression, and he suddenly pushed down on her head, drawing a slight verbal complaint from her.

"Sometimes, you're just too much, even for me, kodomo."

"Renji-san… please… not so hard… it… it hurts…"

"Sorry, can't hear you," he retorted, scratching his ear as he pressed down on her head harder until one deathly serious word cut through the silence.

"Renji."

"Hai," he responded, lifting his hand and allowing Haru to peer at him. "Jeez… to think someone like you's a shinigami… just breaks my heart to see you fight, Haru, 'cause you look so innocent and all." She looked to Byakuya for some kind of support, but he turned his back and pretended to be interested in the growing darkness outside. Her gaze turned curious at the way Renji spoke, but it was soon consumed by seriousness as she sunk down again, taking up her original position with her arm around Suzaku and its hilt leaning against her shoulder. Her hand moved to her neck for a moment, touching the fading wounds Ichigo gave her, the same place Takumi's sword almost bit into, and with a sigh, she peered at him.

"You are perplexing, Takumi-san." Byakuya was startled to see she spoke those words with a smile. "As much as I would like to ask you why you nearly took my head off of my shoulders today…"

"He _what_?" Renji demanded, suddenly not so friendly towards the seventh seat. Takumi cast his eyes towards the ground at the bluntness. Still, he could not deny the fact that he deserved it. "The hell do you mean you went after Haru? Get over here so I can kick your ass. When I'm done with you, your dead ancestors will be feeling it…"

"Renji," Haru said in a tone that was startlingly close to that which Byakuya used to keep him under control, "that is not necessary. Let him explain himself."

"He doesn't need to! He's crazy because he's got a damn death wish if he'd go up against you!"

"You're right." Haru thought she saw Byakuya jolt at the tone Takumi spoke in, one so solitary and downhearted that it reminded him of the half a century when he spent his nights alone. "I am crazy. That's pretty much what it comes down to."

"With a psychosis like that, I am surprised they let you into the Gotei 13," Byakuya noted without turning around. Takumi gave a slight laugh and grinned.

"I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand. You're always so damn controlled. It must be nice to have a zanpakutoh that doesn't drive you straight out of your mind."

"Zanpakutoh?" Haru inquired, peering at him.

"Yeah," he stated, touching his own shoulder in a vain effort to comfort himself. "While the Fujiwara family isn't anywhere close to noble, they are known for wielding a class of incredibly powerful zanpakutoh. The trouble is, the sword is so powerful, it overwhelms its wielder's own reiatsu and effects the body… well, usually. I guess I'm pretty unusual since the pain really doesn't mean much of anything. The problem is the power goes straight to my head, and after that…" He didn't need to go on for Haru to grasp his meaning, so he fell silent.

"Then you are saying you are dangerous?" None of this seemed to surprise Byakuya, nor did he have any sort of mercy on the rebellious seventh seat, who glared at him with animosity he had never shown anyone. "If you are, then I must ask you to leave my division. If you ever come near my sanseki again, then I will kill you."

"Byakuya-sama…"

"I can't say I didn't see that coming," Takumi replied. "There's no place in the Gotei 13 for someone who can't even win a fight with himself." Despite the somberness in his tone, he still smiled at Haru. "Thanks for everything, taichou." She glared at his audacity; fortunately, neither Renji nor Byakuya caught the true direction of the title. He turned to leave, and he would have had Haru not gotten to her feet and tucked her sword in her obi.

"Tell me something," she stated, smoothing her hakama. "Why did you become a shinigami?"

"I can't remember."

"That's a lie, and we both know it." Startled at her tone, Byakuya and Renji both came to a mutual decision with an exchange of glances that they would let Haru handle it. "Tell me why, Takumi. Was it for your sister, or was it something else?"

"Maybe I was just hoping they could help me do something I couldn't do myself. Maybe I was hoping… they could kill the demon inside me, but instead…" He clenched his fist and his jaw as he continued speaking. "Instead, they just made it stronger." Two pale eyes glanced at Haru, doleful and defeated, yet content in knowing that the battle was over. "I could have killed you today. I could have killed you, and you know I could have, but you just stood there like it was something you dealt with every day. I never want to hurt anyone like that, not my allies or my friends… Hajime and you and everyone else in the Gotei 13…" A bitter smile spread across his face as he pulled the sword out of his obi, keeping it sheathed but raising it so the sun's fading light played on its hilt. "If I could use this right, I would use it to protect this place and all the people in it. I could protect Mari, but I guess that's one dream fate ordained to wither and die." He turned away again, pushing the door open slowly and standing at the threshold. "It's up to you, now. Protect this place enough for the both of us."

In a flash, Haru was behind him, sword drawn and eyes flickering with serious determination. Before he even thought, he yanked his own katana free and blocked her blow, struggling to remain standing beneath the pressure Haru was exerting. "The hell…" Renji began, but he was restrained.

"Stay out of it," Byakuya commanded. "I trust her judgment. If she messes up my office, then she will be cleaning it up."

"There's no need to tell me that," Haru retorted. "I'm taking this elsewhere."

"Nani?" Takumi gasped. "What is this about?"

"I want a rematch. Now."

"I told you, I'm done being a shinigami."

"I won't accept that," Haru responded. "I won't, and neither should you." Her blade slid along Takumi's, pushing it lower so her eyes locked directly with his, challenging this sudden desire to throw his hard work away. Still, his fear made him hang back in ways he never did during their first fight. It was there in his eyes earlier that day, that same arrogant look he had when he had first challenged her. "Show me that look, Takumi. Show me your arrogance and your hatred."

"Just what the hell are you trying to do?" He tried to shove her blade away, but Haru gave him no opportunity to do so. The pressure she put on his sword was such that he could not free his own. "Do you have a death wish? This sword was only made for killing!"

"It was only made for killing because that's the only purpose you see," she answered. "If that's so, then prove to yourself it was made for more."

"Don't make me repeat myself."

"Or what?" Haru demanded. "You'll try taking my head off again? What makes you think I'd let you?" That was all it took for him to obey, to show her that look she so wanted to see, but she only got to see it for a moment. Somehow, Takumi found the strength to swing his sword and shove her blade away. The force of it threw her back against the wall, drawing one gasp out of her before Suzaku slipped out of her hands and she slumped into a winded heap. Her glasses slid down the bridge of her nose and abandoned their post, taking refuge in her lap while she tried to catch her breath. Byakuya moved forward to help her, and Haru detected it, warning him with her gaze to remain where he was. Slowly, she collected her thoughts and willed herself to stand, staggering slightly before rising fully. Her glasses rested on the floor near one of her feet, and she was careful to step around it as she walked forward. "Byakuya-sama, if you could save me a bit of dinner, then I would highly appreciate it. This will not take long."

"Wait a minute… just what're you…" But before Renji could finish demanding an explanation, Haru seized a startled Takumi's arm and gave them one last glance.

"Bakudou no jyuuni: **genwaku**senkou." There was one blinding flash, and after the light cleared, the two shinigami were gone, leaving no trace that they were ever there. Renji paced forward, lifting Haru's glasses off the floor and gazing at them with a troubled look on his face.

"Is something wrong, Renji?"

"Iie… just thinkin' is all." He offered the article to Byakuya, who took it and tucked it into his haori.

"That is a pleasant change," Byakuya said in his usual deadpan, pacing towards the door only to be stopped by his vice captain's call.

"Should we… go after them?"

"There is nothing we can do."

"But taichou…"

"Haru has decided this is her responsibility. Who am I to stand in her way?" In that moment, Byakuya sounded unusually doleful despite his willingness to accept things as they stood. He was about to close the door when something stopped him. Renji's foot was wedged between the door and its frame.

"But taichou, as the sixth division, isn't it our job to make sure those two don't tear down half of Seireitei while they're sorting whatever it is out? And was their fight even authorized? What about that?" For once, he was happy for Renji's persistence, so much so that a smile crossed his face, but Byakuya only showed it to the floorboards.

"For once, Renji," he stated, "I think you may have a point."

"Then what are we waiting for?" True, the argument was simple enough to follow. The problem was Haru… Haru's pride, to be more specific. As much as he wanted to interfere, he wasn't quite sure if he was qualified to, but after a moment, the answer came to him. Byakuya paced forward, commanding Renji to following him with his eyes. There were things he couldn't change, such as his own heritage, which more than entitled him to his own share of pride. He took pride in protecting the few precious things he possessed, and if Haru couldn't understand that she was precious to him, then he wasn't certain what he would do. Still, he certainly wouldn't stop feeling the way he did. He would repeat himself until he was out of breath if he had to. He would make Haru understand. He would ask her about her thoughts on the matter, and her feelings, if she had any…

But first, he had to find her, a task that Haru worked to make as complicated as possible. She did not discharge a single trace of reiatsu, but Takumi, on the other hand, seemed intent to expel every ounce of his own. The kidou must have done it, for he was now in a state of complete possession. His eyes were vicious and bloodthirsty, his sword cut the air without fear of wounding her, and there was not a single trace of recognition about him. He did not perceive his surroundings or his enemy. He simply knew his task was to kill her. A trace of pain rushed through Haru's back, causing her to hesitate just for a moment. The blow could have been fatal had she not flashed out of the way. "Gods, you're even worsethan Ichigo!" she shouted, moving past his sword as it attempted to sever her arm. Haru raised Suzaku and slammed it against his own shoulder, just enough to get his attention. She was forced to leap over the blade as Takumi attempted to thrust it into her stomach, and with shunpo, she avoided it when it changed direction.

Haru landed gracefully, straightening her arms and readying her sword for when he rushed forward. He did so without hesitating, without governing his own actions. With one yank, she freed Suzaku of its sheath and countered his blow, gritting her teeth beneath his raw power. Before she could recover, he swung again, knocking her off balance, and he would have delivered a third strike had she not put her weight on her hands and thrust her foot into his stomach. Takumi didn't even seem to feel it. He moved forward to deliver another blow, but Haru positioned her blade to catch it before his own struck her.

Then, there followed another before she could act. The blade only narrowly missed her neck, but it did catch enough of the restraint in her hair to free of nutmeg colored from their prison. "Yare, yare," she said to herself, pulling it entirely free and shoving it in her haori. "You had better get serious, Takumi-san, before I do so myself." He seemed to comprehend those words, but Haru never actually expected him to follow through. Without another moment's hesitation, he tossed his sword in the air, catching it by the blade so it cut his hand. Those blue eyes glowed in the darkness as his a few drops of blood hit the pavement, and the charcoal lines on the backs of his hands lit up, spreading like vines around his neck and across one eye, which remained shut as he spoke.

"Sora wo bikou," he stated, causing Haru's eyes to widen as the blade of his sword turned red and extended in either direction. What he was left with seemed to be a staff of some sort until a wide crescent-shaped blade emerged from its side, glimmering with a crimson light and arching through the air as Takumi turned the weapon so its point was facing the ground. "Akumashoku."

The light faded, and Haru perceived through her detection of reishi that he was trying a frontal attack again. She flashed out of view, watching as the blade swung through the air, then, as if by its own will, changed direction to slice her clean in half. It took some work, but Haru managed to escape without being scathed. Then, he was in front of her, holding the scythe suspended over her head with a wild grin on his face. "Tsukishibou."

The blade fell, and Haru stepped just far enough back that it missed the front of her uniform, but the air in front of her was suddenly illuminated with a gleaming white blade that resembled a crescent moon that followed in the path of the original and reached far enough to bite into her shoulder. With a hiss, she drew back, holding the laceration with a trembling hand. _That power… it is… _Haru shook her head and gazed at Suzaku. _It is driving me mad. I feel like… I feel like killing something… _She could hardly comprehend when she had placed her sword at her own throat, but something felt so wrong about it that she nearly threw Suzaku away just to avoid putting her zanpakutoh through the pain of killing her.

"You wanted to know the true power of my zanpakutoh." Startled, Haru peered at Takumi, who walked calmly forward with his possessed eyes fixed on her. "Like your zanpakutoh, it has three attacks, but all of them are equally fatal. The first one is aimed at shattering the enemy's sanity and convincing them that suicide is preferential to continuing battle, but I am surprised. You can withstand one cut without ending your life." Haru turned her wounded shoulder away from him, shuddering as he licked his lips when he spotted her blood. "I suppose I'd need to cut you at least three times to make it work properly." Leaning the scythe on his shoulder so the blade faced the moon, he walked casually forward. "Now, where should I aim next? Your other arm, or your leg perhaps? Ah, I know…" Takumi flashed out of sight and reappeared behind her, bringing the blade down before Haru could even follow his meaning, but she was still ready for his next move.

"Suzaku!" she shouted, swinging her sword through the air to release it. As soon as the guard finished materializing, she whirled around to meet him, not even bothering to dodge his attack in order to attempt a counterattack. Her reiatsu burned gold around her, and just as he began to lower his zanpakutoh, she gave an order to her own, one that he did not anticipate. "Omote han: seishinhi!" Her reiatsu immediately ignited, blocking out any light Takumi's zanpakutoh may have emitted, and chased him until he withdrew. When the glimmer of her own fire cleared, Haru kept her eyes at the pavement and spoke in a serious tone. "So, you are a self-proclaimed demon. Do you even know what Suzaku is?"

"I don't care to know unless it will help me kill you." Haru's eyes shifted to Takumi, and like his own, they were burning with her reiatsu.

"This is fitting," she stated. "If you are a demon because your zanpakutoh's name is 'demon,' then I must be a god, since my own zanpakutoh is named for one. That fate should throw us together in the same fight… it is abominably trite, is it not?" The demon in him didn't move, nor did it want to. It simply bided its time and waited because it didn't know what to expect, not with her reiatsu shifting so much. The tone she was speaking in was surprisingly calm and devoid of emotion, whereas he was used to a response of nothing less than the purest terror. "That's fine… it doesn't matter," she decided, taking her sword in both hands. "I will show you… the strength of a god, Fujiwara Takumi."

Suddenly, she was standing before him with a look as cold as ice on her face. Suzaku spun through the air and blocked his attempted strike, but it was just the handle of his zanpakutoh. Takumi soon changed the direction of his swing, aiming the blade at her, but Haru countered that blow as well. The next strike, this one from the base, was knocked away by her foot, and before he could comprehend what was happening, Haru had put her weight on her hands. One foot thrust into his stomach with enough force to send him sliding backwards, but the pain didn't faze him. She was hardly back on her feet before blocking another strike. Shoving it away with some effort, she returned his blow, flashing to his other side and swinging again. Takumi blocked the hit and continued spinning his scythe even after he had, knocking Haru's blade into the ground. She pulled on it desperately, glancing up at the blade of the scythe as it rose again.

"You'd better let go of your sword, Kami-sama, or you'll be losing your head." Haru glared at the sarcasm in his voice and gripped Suzaku's hilt tighter. Before giving her a chance to answer, the blade moved downward, glowing silver as it neared her neck. Haru removed one hand from her sword as a plan began coursing through her veins, building her body up to where she could perform it without damaging herself or him. "Bakudou no ichi: sai!" The scythe stopped its descent, leaving only centimeters between herself and its pale glimmer, but Takumi could not move it further, though he had no problem moving other parts of his body.

"Nani…"

"I cast it on your zanpakutoh. I suppose I should take care of you before you cause any further problems, hmm?" There was something through that darkness that triggered a faint recognition in him, something that summoned his thought processes and started forcing them to work against that possession which had overcome him. A smile… she said those words with a smile… and then she bound him with a more advanced spell. "Bakudou no rokujyuuichi: Rikujoukourou." His eyes widened as the staves drove themselves into him and Haru pulled her sword out of the ground, studying him as if she wasn't quite sure of what further action she should take, or how much more would be necessary to convince him not to quit.

"Do you think this will hold me back?"

"It seems to be," she responded. Haru flashed away as the staves shattered and the scythe came through the air, aimed once more at taking her life. It only managed to sever the skin, but Haru felt that jolt of losing composure, and her sword came straight to her neck this time. She fought off that frightening urge in her veins, stepping around his blow and taking one breath. "Seishinhi," she breathed, summoning the golden flames around her until they fully shrouded her from view. While her attack remained, she retreated to a nearby area using shunpo, allowing herself to kneel as she watched Takumi circle the fire cocoon, looking for a way in. Another plan raced through her veins, and while it was a long shot from the results she was hoping for, Haru saw no other way. As much as she wanted to put it into action, her composure was beginning to wear thin. Already, she felt her hand trembling, and Suzaku was not much better. The only reason she still had her composure was because the sword was fighting that urge as well. "Suzaku," she whispered. "I know you cannot fight it much longer." Haru stroked the blade of the sword and held it nearer. "Please bear it for a moment more."

Takumi was beginning to get suspicious; she could tell by his footsteps that already, he detected her absence from the fire. With one wave of her hand, she scattered the flames and propelled herself forward using shunpo, and Takumi turned to meet her. She read the command on his lips, but no… she would not let it go that far. The strike would never fall. Haru shot past the blade, sliding her own along the handle of his scythe until it nearly cut him, then transferred her sword to her left hand, placing her right against the blade and murmuring, "Dai ni keitai: kagehi." Immediately, the blue flames raced along the scythe, causing him to cast it away without thinking. Haru turned her sword over so the hilt was facing him and rammed it against his stomach. This time, he coughed. It was a sign he felt the pain. With movements just as rapid, she sealed her sword and rammed it back in its sheath before turning it over again and smashing the now sheathed blade against his temple. The power behind that blow was enough to throw him off balance and send him skidding across the pavement.

There was a still moment before his zanpakutoh reverted to its unreleased state, a deceptively innocent katana. Only then did Haru allow herself to feel the screaming agony in the flesh of her back, but she bore even that in silence. Instead, she merely wrapped a hand around her shoulder and hunched forward, winded by the efforts of the fight and by her own wounds. That dark desire lingered in her blood and forced her to her knees at last. Unsheathing the sword was impossible, no thanks to Suzaku, who seemed to know the danger of emerging and stubbornly clung to her prison. A sigh escaped Haru, one of irritation and difficulty, before she rose to her feet and approached Takumi, who still lay stationary on their battlefield, petrified of the events that had just occurred. She knelt beside him and tucked her feet beneath her, peering at the seventh seat until he sat up of his own accord, wiping the blood away from his left temple and working to avoid her gaze.

"Incredible." He stopped in the middle of his movement and cast his eyes towards Haru, finding that she was staring at the laceration on her right wrist, but beneath the moon, Takumi could see that hand trembling. "To think you could shake my composure with nothing but two little nicks… is almost unfathomable. I have seen many battles despite my age, and in each one, I only begin to lose composure when I feel my life is in danger. Two cuts… two miniscule lacerations…" She shifted her eyes to him, and they flashed with the power she had sealed away. Then, she cast them away, bowing her head to hide them beneath a curtain of hair. Silence fell for a moment as the realization struck Takumi. Hesitantly, he reached out a hand to touch her shoulder, but Haru drew away, wrapping her own hand around her shoulder and drawing a hiss of pain through her teeth. "Stay," she said. "Find another reason for your zanpakutoh's existence."

"There is no other."

"And how do you know that? Have you even looked?" Vehement eyes briefly locked on his own before they calmed and glanced away. "You are locked in that binary form of thinking where there are only two solutions. 'If I am a shinigami, then this sword exists for killing, but if I quit, then it will stop existing, and I won't have to kill anyone.' Is my assumption wrong?" Takumi stared at her, a bit shaken by the accuracy of her words, but attended the remainder of her speech as she continued. "Stay," she said again. "If he will not have you in his division, then I will have you in mine." There was defiance in her tone, defiance so strong that the very foundations of Soul Society seemed to shake beneath her words. She looked directly at him when she spoke, her eyes a cocktail of pain and determination that favored the latter. "I will only tell you this once, so listen well. It has to be you. You and only you. I will not accept anything less." Takumi's eyes changed for a moment, then grew serious.

"You know what you're asking is impossible. I'm not even capable of controlling myself."

"Yet knowing it was impossible, you still asked me to make you my vice captain."

"Demo…" He bit his lip, cursing how exasperated he sounded, but he was never given a chance to complete his sentence. Haru rose to her feet and peered at the sky, losing herself momentarily in it until her eyes fell shut and she seemed to detect something. Then, she gave him an expression he was very unfamiliar with and extended her right hand, which was still trembling from the effects of his attack. He stared at it, as if it were intended to curse or condemn him despite the promises in Haru's face that she would do nothing to harm him. Hesitantly, he reached out until his fingers touched Haru's palm, at which point she helped him into a standing position while he evaded her gaze. When she walked away, he only followed with his eyes, not feeling much like moving at the moment. He was captivated by the moon and stars overhead. Suddenly, he felt infinitesimally small, as if his plight mattered no less than a paper cut or a splinter, but she was standing before him again, offering the sword to him and asking him with her eyes to take it.

"You will need this." Uncertain, he raised a brow and touched the blade as if confused by the article and her offer, but something in him, some deep and long forgotten stirring within him, commanded him to take it. He studied its luster for a moment, swung it once through the night air, and sheathed it with resolve.

"Hai, taichou," he said in a low voice. Haru fixed her eyes on the darkness from whence two pairs of footsteps were approaching. After a moment, they slowed, having spotted the two shinigami standing side-by-side.

"Konbanwa," she said casually, but before she could say anything else, Renji raced up to her and started rubbing her head, causing her to mutter a number of unintelligible frustrations.

"Baka kodomo! The hell do you think you're trying to pull, running off with such a serious look on your face! Kuchiki-taichou was worried sick about you!"

"If I recall correctly," he returned in his typical deadpan, "you were the one that suggested we look for them."

"I could've done it myself! I just didn't think you'd appreciate it much," Renji retorted, shoving Haru's head to the point that she was in a bow.

"Re… Renji-san…"

"Oy, oy, oy!" he shouted, shoving her head down further. "I thought I told you to quit with that formal shit! It's not like we're complete strangers! Chikusho… you're more of a pain in the ass than paperwork!" Haru attempted several objections while he was speaking, but none of them were coherent. Seeing her vulnerable position, Byakuya let out a sigh and turned away.

"Haru-kun, we're going," he called.

"H… hai!" She escaped from Renji, bowing a goodnight and racing to meet her host, but she ran directly into him before she could realize he was stopped. Leaping three feet backwards, she hastily delivered several apologies and would have continued doing so had it not been for the serious look on his face. Haru knew that look wasn't for her. She easily followed his gaze to where Takumi stood, eyes peering out of the darkness and directly into Byakuya's own.

"I will not repeat myself again, former nanaseki."

"Byakuya-sama…"

"If you even think of coming near Haru-kun, or any other member of my division for that matter, then I will kill you before you even have time to reconsider."

"Matte…" Haru implored him, but he ignored her request, seizing her hand and dragging her forward. "Byakuya-sama, you cannot…" Then, those same cold eyes turned on her, drawing an involuntary shudder from her frame and awakening that lingering bit of desire.

"Let me remind you that you are two ranks below me. Though I do respect you as a noble and a shinigami, I will not allow you to give me orders."

"Demo…" The hand closed tighter around her wrist, causing her to wince, but her eyes remained on his.

"It's fine." Haru flinched when she heard those words and cast her startled eyes to Takumi. "You can threaten me all you want, but life isn't worth living unless I'm a shinigami. I'll be at your damn division tomorrow, and what's more, I'll be there on time, just like I am every day. And I'll keep coming until hell freezes over. I'm no more afraid of dying than I am of you." The defiance in his eyes, strong enough to outshine the moon and all the stars in the sky, caused Haru to seize Byakuya's arm just to prevent another fight. In that moment, he was reminded of Haru's presence and glanced in her direction, spotting a pair of eyes that were overshadowed by night. The hand gripping his forearm was trembling more than it should have been, and for a moment, he thought she may collapse. "Do her a favor and get her home."

"Where're you going?" Renji demanded.

"To find something I lost," he answered, and without further explanation, he flashed out of sight.

"Kuso," the redhead muttered, rubbing the back of his head as bewilderment seized him. "Damn kids don't know when the hell to shut up. You want me to follow him, taichou?"

"Let him be. It is late; if he comes tomorrow, I will deal with him." He noted that Haru gave a particularly violent shudder at those words, but she held her silence, wishing she could be just a little more composed. "Renji."

"Hai, taichou?"

"I expect you to be on time." Renji grumbled some form of agreement and took up his own road, leaving the regal captain to his thoughts. With the redhead gone, it was easier to focus on Haru, who sagged suddenly and pulled on his arm as if her knees had buckled. "Haru-kun, are you not well?" A few ragged breaths escaped her before she fell entirely, nearly bringing Byakuya with her. Forgetting his propriety for a moment, he knelt in front of her, pressing a hand to her forehead and trying to get a glimpse of her eyes, but she wouldn't look at him. He could only sit with her, stroking the damp side of her face as she tried to catch her breath. "You have overexerted yourself, Haru-kun. You feel cold."

"Enough," she murmured, clutching his haori and bowing her head even lower. "It's enough already. Takumi-san could have killed me. He could have, but he didn't. He didn't because he knows he's better than that, so please…" Something warm touched his hand, causing his eyes to widen and flash with that familiar hunger. "I have nothing else to offer you but my word that things will work out. I can't ask you to pardon him for everything. At the same time, I can't just stand by and let you expel him." Byakuya said nothing while his mind caught up with the blinding pace of reality. There was Haru, kneeling in front of him behind a curtain of hair, crying and clutching his haori with one fist, speaking, begging, no less, when she hardly had the strength to speak at all. His lips parted and he prepared to reply, but he suddenly noticed something peculiar. Haru's sword was partly drawn, and the hand that had drawn it was clutching the blade, trembling as if willed by some other force to self-destruction.

Byakuya's first instinct was to yank Haru's hand away, but that would have only caused more damage, so he settled for the more composed alternative. By degrees, he wedged his fingers between Haru's and the blade, prying them gently away and sliding his hand beneath her own. Once their fingers were entwined, he cleaned the blade to the best of his ability before gently pushing it back into its sheath. "What did he do to you, Haru-kun, to drive you to such actions?" The fist that was around his Haori was suddenly around his scarf, and it pulled him forward until their lips met. Surprised, Byakuya attempted to pull away, and Haru, detecting his discomfort, broke their contact, bowing her head again so their eyes couldn't meet.

"Gomen," she whispered once she realized what she had done. "I just… needed to forget for a moment is all." Haru wiped her eyes with the back of her hands and half began to apologize again, but her chin was seized more roughly than she was used to, and the one who seized it took the opportunity to invade both her mouth and mind. Only one thought remained when he finally finished his ministration and lifted her off the ground, carrying her at a calm and unhurried pace as he admired the way the moonlight played on Haru's features, that if just one kiss could make her forget for a moment, then the feelings he had for her were powerful enough to make her forget forever.

* * *

Congratulations on surviving the marathon! *wild applause* For those of you who asked for more fluff, I hope I have sufficiently supplied! For those of you who didn't, then I hope you enjoyed it anyway. ^_^ Now, I have lots of explaining to do, so I'll just start out with a super-long Japanese lesson:

Daijoubu desu ka: Are you all right

Moushiwake arimasen: Super formal apology

Hai: Yes

Iie: No

Demo: But

Souka: I see

Nandesuka: What is it

Gomen: Normal apology

Matte kudasai: Please wait

Nani: What

Hajimimashite: Pleased to meet you

Yare, yare: Well, well (Urahara's catch phrase. XP)

Sumimasen: Some sort of apology thinger that is often translated to "Excuse me."

Kuso: Japanese swear word~

Ano: Japanese equivalent of "um"

Gomenasai: Formal apology

Sukidayo: See notes for Chapter 8 for a HUGE write-up on this.

Kisama: A diminutive form of "you," or at least, that's the connotation. Byakuya uses it practically all the time in the anime, but it's sometimes translated as another curse word by fansubbers… X_X'

Kodomo: Kid.

Konbanwa: Good evening

Baka: Stupid

Chikusho: Another Japanese swear word. Yay, foreign swear words!

Now, some notes:

1. The random bakudou (genwakusenkou) is something I made up. It is not in the official anime. It translates to something like blinding glimmer (thank you, freedict, for providing me with random words and forcing me to put them together in such a way that is probably inaccurate but nevertheless sufficient for my current purposes), and basically, its intention is to temporarily blind one's opponent via a flash of light. Not very useful, but meh… I think it's more of a bakudou than a hadou since it arrests the opponent's ability to attack (kind of like a binding art of sorts). Hopefully, this is cogent enough to make SOME sense… and now, I'm moving on. Yay, short attention span!

2. I saved this for last, because I'm all excited about being able to explain it. Takumi's zanpakutoh is named akumashoku, which translates roughly to "demon eclipse." Its summoning command is sora wo bikou, translating to "shadow the sky." At the moment, its only known attack is called tsukishibou, or lunar death. Once the skin of the opponent is severed, this technique works against the victim's mind and drives him/her to a brief madness in which suicide appears the most logical escape from battle. Takumi claims it has three attack forms like Haru's zanpakutoh. Furthermore, the polarity of their names (Suzaku, which is actually a deity from China/Japan, and "Akuma," which means demon or devil) makes for an interesting play on words.

Whew… that was much more information than I thought I would have to provide. To those of you who made it all the way to the end, congratulations! Again, reviews are appreciated but are never mandatory. I am all too grateful to have any readers at all. Hopefully, my next update will take slightly less time. ^_^' My utmost thanks to everyone; I hope this chapter pleased you! Until next time, sayonara!


	10. Chapter 10: Reason

A/N: I live! Just barely, but I live!!! Holy crap… GRE finished… I scored well… I might be going to grad school… I'm probably teaching in the spring… NaNoWriMo starts in 14 days… I am still a little sick with some sinusey thing… In other words, pure insanity! For those of you who haven't given up hope yet, fear not! Turtlechow is a busy person, but she's never too busy for fanfiction! I have been hard at work on this one… I won't tell anyone how hard because I'll probably get mobbed by a lot of people… X3

Ok, this chapter is so big (size and plot wise) that it comes with a warning label. If this chapter were an actor, it would definitely be Hugh Jackman, because that guy is seriously ripped. Seriously, this thing is a beast and a half… for those of you who are watching FMA: Brotherhood, this thing puts Envy to shame (for those of you who haven't made it that far, it's not much of a spoiler… ^_^). If this thing were an attack in Dragon Ball Z, it would be way the hell over 9,000. I think all my anime and actor metaphors have made a point… this chapter is huge. Read at your own discretion.

Oh, and a quick note to the reviewers of chapter 9: usually, I make it a habit of responding to each review individually because, hey, I want to show my appreciation as much as I can so I can entice you guys into reviewing again. XD Anyway, it turns out, I posted chapter 9 so long ago that I can't remember who I responded to, if anyone, and if I did, then I can't remember who I didn't respond to. So, rather than go through and re-respond to something like an idiot, I humbly ask that you all settle for a generic "thanks for the review" and an honorable spot for your penname in the A/N! So, here goes...

**CRdragonPyro, Hikara-Hime, secretofserenity, I'llxBexUrxEnigma2010, kaito142, NAO-chan33, Ray-nee-chan, and RaInxDrOps, thanks so much for the reviews!!! You guys are amazing!**

Ah, my fans… I have missed you all immensely during my hiatus. I'm terribly sorry I haven't updated. I swear, I'm still alive, and I'm still writing this. I'm just also writing contest pieces and trying to get published so I can put some shiny things on my resume and actually get a job. So, before I make this A/N any bigger, I'll let you get to the chapter. Sit back and make yourselves comfortable... oh, and get a glass of something to drink, maybe some munchies, too. You're going to be in that chair for a really, really long time…

* * *

_Chapter 10: Reason_

For some reason, when Byakuya ordered Renji to be on time, the captain always wound up eating his words. Renji heaved an impatient sigh and leaned against the locked door, smirking with satisfaction that Byakuya was, for once in a blue moon, the late one. Still, when he saw his captain's silhouette sliding along the street, he lost all will to remind Byakuya of his tardiness because he was alone, alone with his own thoughts. Renji straightened as the regal captain eyed him, stammering a good morning as Byakuya worked to unlock the door in silence. "Ano… taichou…" But before he could ask the question, his captain had already disappeared inside, seated himself at his desk, and dove headlong into the stacks of paperwork littering his desk. Renji lost all will to inquire and withdrew into his own office… for a few minutes, at least. His impatience drove him out and directed him to stand in front of Byakuya's desk, whereupon, he stared at the captain until he received a glance. Then, to his surprise, Byakuya's hand stilled. A doleful sigh worked it sway out by degrees, and the captain finally relinquished his grasp on the brush. "Taichou, is Haru… is she okay?"

"She will be," he answered, not even bothering to hide the concern in his tone. "Her composure crumbled after you left, and she had a hard time getting to sleep, so I told her to take the day off to fully recover."

"Guess that means you didn't sleep much, either."

"I slept enough." Byakuya pushed his chair out and paced to the window, wishing that night would come again just so the day would be over. "Renji, what do you think of our seventh seat?"

"I thought the position was vacant, sir."

"Then, if you prefer, what do you think of our former seventh seat?" Renji said nothing simply because he didn't know what to say. He wasn't certain what Byakuya was thinking or where the captain intended to go with the conversation. "If you think nothing of him, then why does Haru-kun…"

"Taichou, I don't really think it's like that between them."

"Then why does she struggle so hard just to make his existence more endurable while sacrificing her own stability in the process? Why does she continue insisting she knows nothing about Kurosaki Ichigo's whereabouts when I know damn well that she does? Just what…" But he stopped himself there, knowing he had gone far enough in expressing his troubles. Knowing what he almost said made his blood boil. One slip, and his attachment would be more than just a growing suspicion to his vice captain. "What am I supposed to say to that?"

"Just that Haru's a good person for not wanting other people to suffer."

"You would think so," Byakuya said coldly, "until you see how much it makes her suffer." Renji mused over the words for a moment, turning back to his office to convey his purposes clearly before speaking again.

"Kuchiki-taichou, I don't pretend to understand everything, but I do know Haru thinks the world of you. If you can't see that, then you're… well, you're a dumb ass, for lack of a better term. She'd never do anything to betray you. At the same time, I don't think she wants you doing something you'll regret. I mean, yeah, she's protecting Ichigo, and she seems pretty damn set on keeping Takumi in the division, but you've got to remember what she's gone through. She wouldn't do those things if she didn't have a good reason, because Haru's just one of those people that has to have a reason."

"A reason," murmured the captain. "But what could it be? Why would she…" Frustrated by the lack of an answer, and the absence of the only person who could provide him with one, he returned to his desk and lowered himself, completely intent on starting his paperwork, but he only got through the first form before glancing back to his vice captain.

"Do you think… she's plannin' to leave, taichou?"

"Why would she be?"

"Well, she's gotta have a good reason for it, if she is. Without the reason, it's meaningless to her," Renji replied, leaning against the doorframe as his captain stared at the form in front of him while his brush lingered over the inkwell. "Hey, taichou."

"Hmm?"

"D'you think she's getting a promotion?"

"How should I know?" he snapped, suddenly remembering he didn't have to put up with the interrogation. "Get back to work, Renji."

"This is serious stuff. If she asks you to endorse her, will you do it?" Byakuya favored ignoring his vice captain rather than biting his head off, as his instincts directed him to. "Maybe you should ask her about it…"

"Nonsense. If something like that was going on, she would tell me. Now, get to work." Renji did as he was asked, sliding the door shut behind him and leaving Byakuya in solitude. _Of all the nonsensical, far-fetched ideas… _Yet his mind ceased in the midst of those thoughts. _Come to think of it, she has been rather free spirited lately, ever since her fight with Kurosaki Ichigo. She seems set on something, but what? _The answer escaped him, and sighing, he returned to his paperwork. _There are still obstacles between her and that position. For one thing, she needs bankai… yet she already has that. _Glowering more at his absentmindedness than Haru's power, he dipped his brush in ink and continued writing. _Well, she would have to battle a captain and win… but doesn't she spar me every day and earn her victory on occasion? _He made the last stroke of that character and pulled the brush away to keep from damaging the paper. _Then she would have to pass the captain's exam. Such things, she surely isn't… _But he paused as he came to the realization that she was capable of such things. She had passed the exam, and what's more, he recalled with a sting to his pride, Haru had done so with a score surpassing his, even if it was only by one point. _She isn't… she can't be planning on… _

Having ascertained the likelihood of such events, Byakuya stared blankly at his desk. The odds, he realized, were not as low as he had first thought. Slowly, he rose to his feet, leaning over his desk as his head throbbed and a hint of cool sweat emerged from beneath his skin. "This cannot be," he murmured, glaring at his hand and commanding it silently to stop shaking. He didn't notice the figure slide in, cast one questioning glance at him, and shut the door behind him. "Haru-kun… can't…"

"Hey." The voice drew his eyes upward, and he found the person he least wanted to see leaning against the closed door with his arms crossed. "You don't look good. You going to be all right?"

"I do not see why my condition should concern you," Byakuya retorted.

"Simple enough. If you're not well, then I guarantee you, she's not going to be, either. Anyway, I'm feeling unusually nice, so I'll let you in on the secret to curing yourself."

"Get the hell out of my office."

"Shocking… the almighty Kuchiki Byakuya's tongue is not so holy after all, uttering words like that." The odium in his eyes was enough to frighten anyone, but not Takumi. Apparently, the captain had also forgotten the young man standing before him was a demon on the inside. "Listen," he said quietly. "Do you hear it?"

"I do not have time for your foolish games. Leave before I take your head off."

"Just listen." There it was, a faint ringing like a bell of some sort. Byakuya glanced to the seventh seat, who shut his eyes and allowed a content smile to overwhelm him. He anticipated nothing and was certain of everything in that moment, until the chime stopped, and his eyes appeared again. "It's a nice sound, isn't it? Tranquil… makes you forget everything just for a moment, calms you so you can think again." He laughed darkly to himself and allowed his arms to fall to his sides as his gaze descended to the floorboards. "If only it was that easy for me. My thoughts won't be cleared until I gain some form of authority over this." He indicated his zanpakutoh by resting a hand on its hilt. "Honestly, nobles sicken me. They take everything for granted because they're born into plenty, and they make that a reason to look down on anyone who doesn't have it all."

"Is that why you attacked Haru? Because you loathe me?" Takumi was about to answer when he found the point of a sword in his face and the glowering eyes of Byakuya hanging over him. "I warned you…"

"Hey, come on! Give a guy a chance to talk!" Takumi raised his hands to show he had no intention of drawing his sword, but Byakuya's own remained only inches from his face. "It didn't matter who I was with at the time; I would have gone after them."

"Why?"

"Why?" Takumi echoed.

"Why her? You could have come after me, but you chose her." His voice became very low and at the same time very angry. "I would have gladly taken her place, having seen how much you have made her suffer."

"For one thing, you've got it all wrong. I didn't choose her; she chose me. If she hadn't dragged me to the middle of nowhere with that damn bakudo, then I would've just gone my own way without causing further harm. She did it knowing the dangers, even though she didn't fully understand the consequences. For another thing, it would've been no good had you taken her place because I wouldn't have learned anything from it." Takumi gazed at him, trying to gauge the captain's reaction, but unlike Haru, who knew all the subtle ways Byakuya showed his emotions, Takumi couldn't read a single one of them. He gazed at the blade, which lingered in front of his right eye, and sighed with a bit of irritation. "Could you at least put out my left if you're gonna do that? I can't see as well out of it."

"Nani?" Byakuya glanced again at the bruise next to his right temple and assumed that eye should be more affected by Haru's assault, but the young man before him covered his left eye and self consciously looked away. The captain seemed to come to some sort of conclusion and drew away, sheathing his sword and turning his back. "I understand something happened while you were still at the academy, a mishap of sorts…"

"How did you know?"

"Shimori told me, while he was still alive. He said he'd never seen anything like it. The sword nearly cut the eye from your skull, but you insisted on finishing the match. You won, of course, but you paid a price for that delay. By some turn of fortune's hand, you got to keep your eye. However, your peripheral vision is not as accurate on your left."

"How did you know that?"

"I also happen to converse with Unohana-taichou on occasion…"

"Some doctor-patient confidentiality…"

"Iie, I surmised it. She does not use names when talking about her cases, but I knew this particular one involved you. Only a Fujiwara would be reckless enough to lose an eye and still keep fighting when lives are not at stake." Byakuya returned to his desk and buried himself in paperwork, at last able to focus. "Haru-kun expressed great concern for you. She literally begged me to keep you in my division for a little while longer. For her sake and hers alone do I pardon you, but I expect you to clean this place from top to bottom when we are finished here this evening."

"What? That's it?" Takumi inquired, his eyes flickering in disbelief. "No forty lashes? No hard labor? No bloody damn demotion?"

"Do not tempt me," the captain murmured. "Go about your assigned duties, nanaseki. Do not bother me again."

"Fine, fine…" Takumi retorted, waving his hand and turning towards the door. "Where's she at?"

"At home recovering her strength, as she should be. She had quite a night."

"Souka," he murmured, sliding the door open. "By the way, if you want answers, she's the only one that can give them to you. Why not try asking her instead of giving yourself a migraine over it?"

"I will consider it." Takumi slipped out in silence, leaving Byakuya alone in the office. The advice troubled him as much as he hated to admit it, even if only to himself. Interrogating Haru was what he had planned to do the night before, but her condition had made it impossible. He could still see the traces of terror on her face as he walked her home with only the moon and stars to gaze upon them. Still, he could not let it trouble him too much. The stacks of papers reminded him of his task and the reward for completing it. He had all night to ruminate over his predicament; for now, his duties as a captain would just have to satisfy him.

* * *

Haru curled up on the futon like a cat, hiding her head beneath the blankets. She felt like she had been drugged, but apparently, her dosage had not been of painkillers. Her back throbbed intensely every time she even considered moving. Knowing that it was probably bruised, she gave up her efforts and tossed the covers back, expecting it to be dark. When she found full daylight, she sat bolt upright and gave a slight cry, wincing and holding her shoulder.

The memory was vague but still very real despite her half-conscious stake.

"Byakuya-sama…"

"Go back to sleep, Haru-kun," he whispered as he slid out from beneath the covers. She rubbed her eye and gazed at him, pushing her hair out of her face. When she tried to sit up, she felt his weight beside her again, kneeling and pressing her shoulders back onto the futon. A slight hiss escaped her, but she really wasn't conscious enough to feel pain at the moment. His pale hand wandered across her temple, brushing her hair behind her ear before dropping to her jaw line and retracing its journey. Then, her eyes had shot open, gazing directly at him.

"There's work…"

"I will send a hell butterfly to Hitsugaya-taichou explaining the situation," Byakuya responded. "I excuse you from your duties today. I would like you to take this opportunity and recuperate."

"I am fine…" A gentle finger moved across her lips, stilling any further protest she could have put forth and numbing her body with an inexplicable sensation, an emotion too powerful to put into words.

"Please do not put me through the pain of seeing you so weak anymore, Haru-kun." For that imploring tone and that alone, she gave up her argument, accepted the gentle kiss he bestowed upon her, and found herself dragged into a deep doze upon his departure. She only vaguely remembered burrowing under the covers, inhaling the scent he left behind and sighing contentedly before again disappearing into unconsciousness. Now, she emerged, and realizing she had nothing to do with herself but sleep, she let herself fall back into the covers, staring at the empty space beside her and sighing heavily. The weight of her secrets was bearing down on her again, and Byakuya's absence only served to make the reminder that much harsher.

"Kuso… why can't I grow a spine and just tell him already? Is it because I was ordered to stay quiet? Can I even justify keeping it from him with such a petty excuse?" After heaving another sigh, Haru rolled over on her stomach and peered to the spot of floor just above her head, where her glasses peered curiously at her. "Thanks… guilt me even more," she murmured, pressing her face into the pillow, whereon she heard a beeping that drew her violet eyes to work. The light on the front of her cell phone was flashing, indicating an incoming call. Haru reached for it and flipped the device open, pressing it to her ear. "Hai, Haru desu…"

"Well, of course this is Haru! Otherwise, I wouldn't've even bothered dialing!" The voice made her sit up, and she shook her head in disbelief. "Still there, Haru?" She pulled the phone away from her ear and glanced at the number, which wasn't familiar. Then, she returned it, leaning forward and cupping her hand over the receiver.

"Hirako-san?"

"Who the hell else would it be?"

"Ah… sumimasen… I just woke up."

"Eh? I thought ya had work today."

"I did until I almost killed myself last night."

"Nani? You gettin' klutzy again?"

"Something like that." She fully intended to continue, but the voice on the other end interrupted her.

"Hai, hai… don't bore me with the details. I called ya for a reason, ya know." Haru propped herself up on her elbows and moved her feet up and down, peering at the sun thoughtfully as she waited for him to continue. "Ya know, the minute he walked in sayin' you sent him, I knew there was hope for him. He said he swore he'd swing that blade of his for Soul Society, so Hiyori and I reckoned we oughta do something."

"So, did you?" Haru inquired.

"Don't rush me."

"What the hell do you mean, 'Don't rush me'? A minute ago, you said you didn't want to be bored with the details! And how did you get this number, anyway?"

"That should be obvious. A mutual friend, of course…"

"In other words, Sensei gave it to you. Well, if you're not going to take this seriously, then don't call me again, Hirako-san."

"Matte," he said calmly as she pulled her hand away from the phone and prepared to hang up on him. "Yare, yare… yer always in such a bad mood when ya wake up… that certainly hasn't changed despite your death."

"So, Sensei told you about it?"

"Yeah, he seems to think Aizen had somethin' to do with it, but he ain't found a damn thing yet. Anyway, about Ichigo… well, you know what we do with new recruits. Put 'em through hell, then make 'em go all hollow…" The line went silent for so long that Haru thought she had disconnected. There were shouts about something in the background before he stated. "Gomen! The rest of this story'll have to wait until I'm done with breakfast."

"The hell it will! As the nineteenth heir to the Yamashita clan, the only offspring of former captain Tokazawa Misuzu, and a pupil of Urahara Kisuke, I demand that you tell me what the hell is going on!"

"Yeesh… it's not very often you pull out the triple-status. He mean somethin' to you, Haru?"

"He doesn't mean anything; he's just someone who has circumstances similar to mine. Now, just tell me what happened." There were voices in the background again, and frustrated, she couldn't help but clench the fist that wasn't around the phone as she drew a breath. "Hirako-san? Hirako-san! Are you still there?" Haru wasn't there, so she couldn't see Hirako holding the phone between his thumb and index finger as far away from his ear as possible while Haru continually shouted his name into the receiver.

"Oy, Ichigo!" he shouted, tossing the phone once the teenager had turned to face him. "Five minutes. I've got other things I wanna discuss with her."

"Five? Why the hell only five?"

"Make that four minutes, fifty-three seconds," Hirako responded, glancing at his watch, turning away, and raising a hand in farewell. Sighing, Ichigo pressed the phone to his ear just as Haru was yelling a hundred years worth of baka into the receiver.

"Calm down, will you? You're giving me a headache." Haru paused and waited for the voice to say something again. "Hey, how's it going?"

"Ichigo?" she stammered in disbelief. "You're alive?"

"Don't say it like you expected me to die, baka!" The line was quiet except for some breathing. "Hey, don't cry."

"Gomen," she answered with a sniffle, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. "I'm just… relieved to hear your voice, Ichigo. When I sent you to Hirako-san and the others, I didn't know whether or not you would survive."

"Didn't I already tell you I'm too stubborn to die?"

"That you did," she responded.

"You going to be all right, or am I going to have to take a little field trip?"

"Iie… that is entirely unnecessary," Haru responded, wiping her eyes again. "Forgive me if I am emotional. I just had a rough night. Another near-death experience… you know how it is."

"Yeah," he responded with a sigh.

"Oh, by the way, Ishi-nii has been calling me non-stop, demanding to know your whereabouts. I have told him several times I had no idea, but he knows me better. It isn't that they aren't worried about you. They just can't get in touch." Haru rolled over onto her back, hissing slightly because she had forgotten the pain. "Rukia-san and Orihime-san both keep pressuring him to call, and I am certain Sado-san has something to do with it as well. I recommend you see them soon, and if Hirako-san tells you can't, then let him know I'll be cracking his damn skull open in front of the gods and everybody next time I see him."

"You got it." Haru smiled despite the agony in her back. It was nice to hear him sounding so upbeat. She only wished she felt half as confident as he did. "Listen… about what you did for me… well…" He stopped, and Haru could almost feel his smile through the phone line. "Arigato, Haru. I never got a chance to thank you before we went back home, so I thought I should say it now. Has it… been causing you trouble?"

"Nothing is official, yet," she stated. "Nonetheless, I can feel the time drawing near with every passing second. As if that wasn't enough, my family is starting to harass me. Poor Ishi-nii… taking it from your friends and from the Yamashita clan… but enough about my problems. How did you fair with your little trial?"

"Pretty damn close to losing my free will, but I won. I guess I really did wait until the last second, but I can't remember it too well… everything is just kind of a blur." He laughed a little, and Haru listened to the smile in his voice. "It's the exact opposite of you, right? You probably would've been done in ten minutes."

"One can never be certain," Haru replied, glancing for a moment at the timer on her phone. "Your five minutes are almost up."

"Yeah, I know… Shinji's coming over here to get the phone. Thanks again, Haru."

"Never a problem. Just make sure you don't try killing me again with that thing. Otherwise, I'll show you what my bankai is truly capable of."

"Nani? That sounded like a threat! What the hell do you mean, what it's truly capable of? Matte… chikusho… just let me…" Haru pictured Ichigo and Hirako wrestling for the phone and laughed gently behind her hand. The whole matter put her in a good mood. Unfortunately, Hirako had to spoil it by returning to the line.

"When're you comin' for a visit? Hiyori wants to know so she can kick your ass."

"You would be surprised at how much I improved since the last time Urahara-sensei made me fight a vizard," Haru said darkly. "If I knew, I would give you an honest answer. Sometime in the next few weeks, I suppose, if I can get the time off…"

"Good, good," Hirako interrupted, turning on his heal and suddenly raising his voice. "By the way, Urahara told us you were sleeping with the sixth division captain, so I gotta know, when're you two getting hitched?"

"Baka! I'm not sleeping with him! I'm just sleeping in his house!"

"Yeah, in the same room. We heard."

"We?" Haru stammered. "Just what has that man been telling you?"

"Lots. I'll be sure to let ya know if you ever come by for a visit. Ja ne."

"Hirako-san, matte! It… it isn't like that!" Whether he heard her or not, she couldn't tell, for the receiver clicked, and she was suddenly speaking to no one but herself. Exasperated, she flipped the phone closed and pressed her face into the pillow. The peace lasted for half an instant, when someone just outside the door requested permission to enter. A moment later, the door slid open, revealing Keiji and a tray full of food, which he dutifully carried forth and set next to her without speaking. "If the commotion disturbed you, then I apologize," Haru retorted, reaching first for the tea. "Some of my associates are rather… troublesome."

"Hai, Haru-san," he answered, keeping his eyes averted. "May I ask… what that was about?"

"Well…" Haru took a sip of her beverage and peered into it, staring at her reflection. "If I could explain it simply, I would. Let's just say some friends of mine are helping Ichigo, unbeknownst to his friends and to my allies here in Soul Society. It pleases me that he is doing well, though I wish I could say the same for myself."

"Do your injuries still hurt?" Keiki cried, half rising. "I'll go get some pain killers for you…" But a hand shot out, wrapping around his sleeve until he gazed back to her. Smiling, she shook her head and asked him to be seated with her eyes. She lifted the bowl of rice, smiling as she began the task of consuming it, musing the whole while over various matters she had not had time to think about. "Kuchiki-sama said he was worried for your health. Just what have you been getting yourself into, Haru-san?"

"Nothing that I'm not used to," she responded, glancing at the servant. "You shouldn't be concerned."

"Is it…" He stopped, reconsidering his words before finally relinquishing his hold on hesitance. "Is it true you're going to leave?"

"I will have to, for a little while. My grandfather is dying. Apparently, he wants me to perform the soul burial, not to mention Ishi-nii's insistence that I visit him and Urahara-sensei." Haru sighed heavily, lifting one grain of rice from the bowl and examining it. "Tell me, Keiji-san… what makes this grain of rice so special? It looks no different from the others. How could it possibly be superior or inferior to those I left in the bowl?"

"Ano… I'm not entirely sure what you're asking me, Haru-san… it sounds like an odd question."

"It is special because it was chosen," Haru responded, chewing it thoughtfully before continuing. "I am a very similar case. I was selected by my grandfather to be the nineteenth heir, or if not him, then fate. I was also chosen by Byakuya-sama to be his sanseki, but our bond is so much more…" Haru peered at Keiji, eating another bite of rice as she further considered the matter. "That man makes it impossible to follow orders and keep secrets, not because he is persistent in seeking his answers but because I cannot help but tell him. I have no desire to push him away with my secrecy. At the same time, there is only so much I can tell him. The rest, I must unfortunately keep silent until the sun rises on that ordained hour…" Haru ate in silence for a few moments with Keiji watching her every move. He noted the steadiness in her hands, the determined pensiveness in her eyes, the way her hair swayed and her eyes flashed. She was a picture of health.

"You look well this morning, Haru-san. Does that mean the effects of your battle last night have subsided?" Haru paused for a moment, staring at her bandaged left hand, and dolefully reflected on the events of the preceding night. An ounce of pain worked its way through her back, drawing one flinch from her.

"I suppose you could say that. Except for my unseen injuries, my wounds are beginning to heal."

"I am glad to hear it, and I'm certain Kuchiki-sama will be as well." Haru consumed the rest of her rice in silence, enjoying it for a time until Keiji began talking. "To be honest, I wasn't sure if you would be waking up today. It's already past ten. You must not have had a good night. If I am to blame, then please accept my apologies. I will try to serve you better in the future…"

"Keiji-san," Haru interjected, shaking her head gently, "it was no fault of yours that I had a minor case of insomnia, so please don't blame yourself." Her smile was genuine, so he had no choice but to relinquish all rights to argue the matter. He bowed his head and started carrying the empty tray towards the door.

"Is there anything else I can bring you, Haru-san?"

"Iie," she responded. It was tense waiting until he was gone, and once she was sure he wasn't coming back, Haru raised her hand to her head, running one finger over the wound on her face and peering at the one on her wrist. In half a second, the entire fight had raced through her mind from the moment she removed Takumi to that terrible desire for self-demise burning through her veins to the final blow. She remembered that pitiful expression, his renewed determination, and that look in his one visible eye throughout their duel. "Takumi," she murmured. "This is what you were trying to tell me. Is this the reason… you asked to be my vice captain?" Closing her fist, Haru turned to the window, staring at the sky and wanting to admire its azure hue, but that endless blue only made her wish for rain. "I was the only one that could help you because I was the only one that would go so far as to risk my own life just to change yours. No one else believed your abilities had another purpose. It was just uncontrollable fatality to them… fatality, and nothing more." Haru paused and clenched her fists again, bowing her head as the onset of rain swept over her eyes. "What a wretched fate."

It took all the strength she had to draw her knees up and bury her face in them, but for some reason, it didn't feel right to let the storm loose. For one thing, he wouldn't want her to cry, and for another, he wasn't there to dry her tears. "Byakuya-sama," she murmured. "Please forgive me… for being so secretive. If you don't, then I shall have to start back at square one." A doleful sigh worked its way through her body. She needed an escape, at least for a little while. That was why she resolved to disobey him just once more. Rising to her feet, she straightened the futon and slid through the door, passing just down the hall to the one next door. Once the door was shut behind her, she crept to the closet, opening it to find the box that once contained her cross and a larger case under it. She ran a hand over its curves, memorizing their texture and resolving to use it one day… but not now.

Haru set about pulling on a sleeveless gray kimono and a pale blue hakama. The bottom of the legs had been died with indigo, and so they were darker than the remainder of the fabric. After pulling on a pair of socks and sliding the fabric bands along her arms, she wound the sash around her waist and tied it. With the usual silver ribbon, she restrained her hair in a pony tail that hung to her waist, foregoing the tedious process of concealing it within the black fabric pouch. Detecting a chill in the air, she withdrew a darker blue-violet haori and draped it over her shoulders. As an afterthought, she seized Suzaku from her resting place. _It's a good thing I bothered to buy these clothes, _she thought as she pushed the door open. _Otherwise, I would have to proceed in uniform. _Unfortunately, she didn't even set one foot outside the room before seeing Keiji, who had been standing outside the door the entire time. "Don't try to stop me, Keiji-san."

"I won't," he replied. "If Kuchiki-sama asks, I'll tell him you insisted on leaving."

"If I return before he does, then there will be no need to explain yourself," she returned with a smile, walking past him as she tucked her zanpakutoh into her obi. "In the event that I am delayed, then be sure to emphasize your complete lack of authority over my actions."

"Understood, Haru-sama." Her footsteps paused, and she turned back to face the servant, whose head was bowed slightly. For once, Haru had to think twice about correcting him. She continued down the hallway in silence, just until she wandered out of sight, and again considered demanding an explanation, but when she turned back, she found she was alone. The peculiar behavior could wait, though. Haru had more pressing matters to attend to, like the appointment she could not afford to miss.

* * *

"Well, this certainly is a pleasant surprise!"

"Hmm?" Haru inquired.

"I've never had you visit for two days in a row, taichou! It's exciting!" Haru gave a slight smile peered towards the window again. "And this is the first time you've come when you aren't in uniform! I can only imagine how nice you would look in one of those really fancy kimonos." For some reason, the reminder stung. The promise Ishida had made her at the funeral when they were children resurface in her mind, making her long even more for the world she left behind. "Taichou…" Hinamori said quietly.

"Hmm?"

"Did something happen between you and…" She stopped, knowing Haru could fill in the rest of the sentence. Haru did her best to conceal the wounds by keeping the left side of her face towards the window. The way her right arm was hanging successfully concealed the faint laceration on her wrist. "Did he… hurt you?"

"He tried," Haru responded. "I put him in his place, but at a cost. Byakuya-sama is furious. He would be even more so if he learned I left the house today."

"If you knew he was going to get angry, then why did you leave? And why did you defend Fujiwara-san?"

"Because…" Haru paused, shaking her head free of that troublesome answer which almost sprang from her lips. She smiled weakly and peered at Hinamori. "Iie… to be honest, I'm not really sure what I was thinking at the time, except that people who give up really kind of piss me off."

"You should have let him go." Startled at the cold note in her voice, Haru finally turned to the recovering vice captain, her eyes flickering intently. She raised her hand to push her glasses up her nose, learning for the first time that they were not present and swearing under her breath upon that discovery. "Don't you know they're cursed?" she asked.

"Cursed?"

"Hai," Hinamori responded darkly, "because they made a deal with the hollow. Now, the curse can never be undone."

"Hollow?" Haru echoed.

"The prior head of the Fujiwara family, Fujiwara Hitoshi… he's the one who did it. He wanted to make his family stronger, so it is said he made a bargain with the hollow. In exchange for the strength he gained through them, he swore he would give the hollow his soul. In this manner, he would be able to provide his successors with a strong reputation and die under a heroic guise, but he didn't realize the true cost at the time. The hollow he made a deal with was one of a kind; when he went into battle, he found his power vastly increased, so much so that his mind was devoured instantly upon release. While he was in his stupor, they say he murdered over a thousand shinigami. Only then did his body give out, completely overtaken by the hollow within his blade." Hinamori glanced to Haru to make sure she was paying attention, and she was, clutching the haori around her protectively, pleading Hinamori with her eyes to finish. "Since Fujiwara Hitoshi didn't live to fulfill his debt, the curse has fallen on the head of his only son, who has inherited a zanpakutoh with similar properties."

"Indeed, Takumi-san's mind seemed rather devoured when he fought me."

"Then his body will one day be devoured, too, and by his own power. They will be cursed until their debt is repaid, and the hollow get the soul promised to them…"

"Then they are not much different than I am," Haru responded, "for as you recall, my ancestors sold their souls as well… to greed and lust for power. I am certain it was not always that way." She paused and sighed heavily, burrowing deeper into her haori.

"With all do respect, taichou, I don't think the cases are similar at all."

"While I was not officially cursed by any external force, I find myself feeling more and more cursed beneath the weight of my own family." Haru moved a hand to her sword, touching it thoughtfully while musing over what path to take in light of this revelation. A gust of wind blew in from the window, shifting Haru's hair before stilling. "I fear I have made a promise I cannot keep."

"Nani?"

"Betsuni," she said with a placid smile. "Just thinking aloud." That familiar determination was in her eyes, flickering like a candle that desired more wick to burn. _The endeavor will end badly that way, _she thought. _If the flame eats too much wick, it will only burn and fizzle out. Still… I cannot give up on Takumi-san. Cursed or not, he is, for all intents and purposes, my direct subordinate, and it is my responsibility to help him._ Haru would have traded anything for more time to think on the matter, but Hinamori's words disrupted her musings and brought her back to Hinamori's room in the infirmary. The girl was now standing up, her feet hanging over the bed as she waved them thoughtfully.

"So, is that why you came today?"

"I needed some air," Haru confessed, covering one eye with her hand. "Seeing how worried he was last night, and knowing how many secrets I'm keeping from him… gods, I feel rotten to the core. That's why I think I'm more of a Yamashita than I'd like to admit."

"You're nothing like them, taichou!" Hinamori declared in a tone so vociferous that it caused Haru to flinch. "You don't seek power; it comes to you even though you avoid it, and you would give that power up… hell, you would give your own sovereignty if it meant saving a life. And the power you do have, you use it to protect people, not to further your own gains."

"Hinamori…"

"I just know you're nothing like them," she interjected, shaking her head and clenching her fists with determination. "I know you aren't because… because of the way you smile when you really mean it. Aizen… Aizen never smiled that way, so don't say you're deceptive like them!" She was gasping from the effort, as if she was hesitant to speak those words or as if she expected some kind of rebuke, but all she felt was the gentle glimmer of Haru's violet eyes fixed on her. Glancing up, she found her visitor in a state of wild confusion, but with the passing of a moment, there came the very smile Hinamori had identified, the genuine placidity that was unclouded by thoughts of what was and what could be.

"Arigato, Hinamori-san. Your words are too kind. I only hope they will be enough to change things." Haru's voice possessed a sort of distracted note, as if she was mentally quarreling with herself on what course of action should be taken regarding a particular matter. Hinamori was half tempted to ask her what it was, but the expression told her the words were not her own. "I'm afraid… I have made a promise I can't keep."

"You said that earlier."

"Only because it's true," she confessed. "I told Takumi I would make him my vice captain, but with the way things are now…" She peered critically at Hinamori, her eyes flitting with some sort of dark intuition. "I cannot in good conscience keep that promise." Confused, Hinamori attempted to read Haru's eyes, which had become nothing but an indistinguishable violet shade. "If you were in my position, hiding all these important things from your captain, what would you do? What would you say when you finally decided to tell him everything? This time, I really could lose him, couldn't I?" Her voice quivered as she spoke, and detecting the onset of tears, Haru threw her gaze to the floor. "Forgive me… I'm rambling."

"Taichou, are you…" She paused, not knowing whether or not her question was proper. All the signs were obvious enough, but she liked to be entirely sure. She didn't want to make a mistake, and she didn't want Haru to suffer any more teasing than she already had at the hands of Fujiwara Takumi. "Are you in love with Kuchiki-taichou?" For a moment, Haru didn't say anything. She didn't even dare to move, knowing how red her face was turning. After a few moments, she threw a half-joking glare to Hinamori and made her reply.

"Are you out of your mind? What gave you that idea?"

"Well, Fujiwara-san… for one thing."

"You really shouldn't listen to what he says. Honestly, I don't think he takes anything seriously, and speaking of serious, that word you just used is way too serious for someone my age to be thinking about. I'm only fifteen, for heaven's sake… as if I could use such a strong term with a just conscience and with full knowledge of every detail it encompasses." Haru paused, placing her chin in her hand and, turning serious again, glanced out the window. She discreetly ran a finger over her lips, and that thought worked its way into her mind again. _Nande? Why does this thought of him captivate me so? This can't be right. She… can't be… _Yet thinking of all the things they had done together, how close she had let him come, the way he stayed with her even when it was a hindrance to himself… _He has made it quite clear how he feels, _she told herself, sitting upright and fixing her gaze on the wall. Her hands closed tightly around the edges of the chair's seat. _I guess I never really stopped to think about how I feel. It just seemed normal, accepting his kindness in the beginning, and while he has continued to remain kind, I know now that he feels more than that._

Her mind wandered back to the handful of instances Byakuya had been clear with his emotions. There was seriousness on his face when he said those words and an undeniable sincerity laced through his tones, but there was also that troubling disappointment she couldn't explain. _What is it? What is the root of that disappointment?_ Unable to find a suitable answer, Haru bowed her head beneath the weight of her thoughts, which was displaced with memory after memory of their time together. _Ever since I came here, we've been bonding. Even though I told you the dangers of continuing to pursue me, you have done so without hesitation, and I have allowed it. I could have walked out anytime, but… _Then, Haru came to the realization that she couldn't have walked out. Debts had nothing to do with it; she didn't want to feel that familiar sting of walking away from someone she felt attached to, and this attachment she felt to him… it was beyond the attachments from her past. _It's so strong… it's like I'm caught in a web with him, a web of my own making. I have no reason to wish for freedom from it. I want to be trapped by you, and I want to trap you in return. Then, we'll be trapped together for as long as it suits us. _

She shifted again, tilting her head towards the window and eyeing the azure sky. _Yes… despite what both of us have said in the past, I do not think I am capable of letting you go anymore, not unless staying would make you suffer. You would fight to keep me, too. I know because I have seen you do it. Byakuya-sama… _The recollection of the morning finally flew through her head, that intense feeling that had burned within her veins for just one instant before sleep overtook her again. A slight gasp worked its way through her as the full weight of what she was thinking struck her. Then, she recalled her audience. Hinamori was sitting with one hand in her lap and hiding her smile behind the other.

"What… what are you smiling for?" she cried, cursing the fact that the words were louder than she preferred.

"Betsuni, taichou," Hinamori replied. "I'm just happy for you." Haru was burning red, scowling a bit at her realization, and musing once more over how she was going to tell him everything. She would do it in one breath if she had to; if there was one thing she hated, it was coming clean. Then again, Haru supposed she deserved it, having kept so many secrets in the first place.

"Curse this nature of mine, the one handed down generation after generation. I reject everything it stands for," she said decisively, rising from her chair. "Even so, I feel an obligation to fulfill their petty duties before severing all ties with them. Hinamori-san," she said, turning to the vice captain with a rapidity and a seriousness that seemed beyond Haru's capabilities. "There may be sometime soon when I have to leave Soul Society. When that day comes, I want to take you with me, you and Takumi-san. It may only be for my own selfish reasons. Perhaps I want to demonstrate to my family that I have every intention of becoming a captain here. Still, I don't think I can go alone." The violet orbs shone down on Hinamori, who stared at them with an almost timid look on her face. She was afraid to deny and afraid to accept, for she had not often been to the human world. "If you refuse me, then I understand. You hardly know me. Who am I to ask you for such favors?"

Haru turned her back to the window, folding her hands in front of her and gazing wistfully out the window. She didn't hear Hinamori rise from her bed anymore than she heard the girl pace across the floor. She peered over Haru's right shoulder, attempting to derive from the scenery what exactly Haru was staring at. Though she found no success, she did find the expression Haru's face almost unbearably contemplative. Wherever she was going was not a place that was friendly to her, nor did she particularly desire to go. Even so, Hinamori thought Haru felt compelled to go there for whatever the reason at whatever time was right and in whatever fashion best suited her purposes. Sighing, she rested a hand on Haru's shoulder, bringing those stern eyes to her own. "Yamashita-taichou," she said quietly, "I may not know you well, but you seem like a genuine person. I know you can be trusted. You would never betray Soul Society or anyone in it because it would hurt you too much. That's why, if you leave, then I'll go with you. I would follow you anywhere, taichou."

"Hinamori-san," she sighed, bowing her head and turning fully to her. "To hear you say that…" Haru paused, unfolding her hands letting her arms fall to her sides. The corners of her mouth upturned in that typical smile, placid and thoughtful yet full of mirth at the same time. "It makes me happy for some reason."

They felt it in the same moment, the sudden bone-crushing force that was so subtle, they almost overlooked it. In that instant, the smile faded from Haru's face, and she collapsed against the wall with a sharp cry, trembling at the magnitude of pain racing through her back. Hinamori was fortunate enough to stagger to the edge of the bed and sit on it, holding her kimono together while quietly gasping for breath. Slumped against the wall, Haru could only clench every muscle in her body and hope it passed. She pressed her back harder against the surface, hoping to increase the pain and make it pass more quickly, but it didn't seem like it was going away anytime soon. She let gravity pull her down despite Hinamori's calls, curling into a defensive ball in order to keep from writing excessively. The very second she recovered her own bearings, Hinamori darted to Haru and fell to her knees, her eyes racing from Haru's face to her feet. "Yamashita-taichou, are you all right? Taichou!"

The silvery eyes that peered up at her were incapable of giving an answer other than demonstrating how wild the pain in her back raged. "Stay here," she stammered, covering Haru with the haori, which had slipped off of her shoulders during the fall. "I'm going to get help." Only when she was halfway up did she feel a trembling hand close around her wrist, which caused her to glance back once more at the figure lying on the floor. "Taichou…" Haru nodded her head slowly and forced herself to sit up, letting loose one additional cry of pain before she finally managed the task and slumped against the wall. "Taichou, you aren't well."

"There's no time," she said decisively, trying to stand but slipping because of her sweaty palms. Winded as she was, Haru finally decided there was no point in trying and that her best course of action was to recover as quickly as possible.

"What was that?" Haru drew another breath, released it, and inhaled again, her eyes shimmering darkly as she prepared the answer.

"A hollow."

"In Seireitei? But how?"

"I have a theory, but the twelfth division is more suited to that kind of thing. At any rate," she continued, drawing her knees up. "If my guess is correct, no one else felt it but you and me. I would be willing to bet that the hollow which just permeated our borders is no run of the mill hollow. It's probably after me…" With renewed determination, Haru forced herself to stand, holding the haori around her as she did so. "And on my day off to boot."

"Taichou, I don't think you should be standing."

"Perhaps not, but if I don't fight it, then it will probably ravage Soul Society. That is something I cannot allow."

"Taichou…"

"Please do me a favor, Hinamori-san," she interrupted, turning her back towards the window. The haori wavered slightly before settling, leaving nothing behind but the utmost appearance of a weary composure. "When Hajime-san comes to check your vitals, please tell him to send a team out, but wait until you feel my reiatsu."

"But how will I know it's yours?" Haru turned and wrapped one hand around Hinamori's. That's when she felt it: the constant shifting like infinite ripples in a pond made by falling rain, all convening and comingling and competing. Once she was sure Hinamori understood, she bowed her head and set one foot in the window sill before launching herself out of it. Hinamori leaned over the edge to watch Haru land, but she never saw it happen. Haru had already flashed out of sight, racing wildly towards the now more subtle reiatsu than that which she had first detected.

_This can't be good, _she thought, racing along a rooftop. _It's close… almost as if I'm not the one chasing it. Iie… I would wager a bet that… _Leaping down, Haru concealed herself in a shadow. A faint blur passed overhead, one she recognized as what she hypothesized to be the intruder. _As I thought. I am the one being hunted. Well, not any more... _It was with great difficulty that she bolted forward again, racing along the rooftops behind that blur she still had sight of. When it vanished altogether, Haru fell to her stomach on the rooftop, making herself as unnoticeable as possible. Tense moments passed and turned into a collective slew of time in which she remained stationary. _Is he gone?_

_Stay there, _Suzaku commanded. _He is close. _Haru held her breath and closed her eyes, feeling the tremors work their way through her shoulders and into her hands. She surmised they were close to where the hollow entered in the first place. Slowly, she opened her eyes, their pearly iridescence burning in her typically ebony pupils. _You are getting too serious, Haru-sama. Please control yourself._

_Hai, Suzaku. Forgive me. It's just… I feel as if something heinous has occurred here. _It didn't take her long to find what that something is. There was a body stretched the pavement, unconscious and face down. Though there wasn't any blood visible from her position, she felt the need to investigate further. Forgetting about the intruder for a moment, she shifted her head slightly, until that horrible feeling overtook the pit of her stomach. "It can't…" she murmured. "It can't be…" A battle took place in that moment between her conscience and what little regard she had for her own safety. The former was victorious, and in one moment, Haru had leapt from the roof to the ground, landing in a crouch and darting to the figure lying on the ground. She was surprised to find him conscious, considering whatever attack he had faced upon entrance. "Takumi-san…"

One azure eye shifted uselessly up to her. He was gasping for breath despite having no visible injuries. Seeing that his sword was still in his sheath, Haru continued giving his body a cursory glance for wounds. "Taichou… a trap…"

"I don't care," she said decisively. "Your well-being is more important." Though he tried to hide it, it wasn't long before she spotted the wound across his chest, a non-lethal yet lengthy wound from which blood flowed. Haru also noted his left temple was bleeding, and the marks around his neck notified her that he'd just nearly had the life choked out of him.

"I'm fine," he managed, raising his clean hand to his mouth as he coughed. After a little time, his hand fell to the pavement, and Haru, finding it covered in blood, nearly lost her composure. "I'm fine," he repeated. "Just… get out of here."

"Takumi-san, you're bleeding. You aren't fine," she answered, her voice quivering. "You need medical attention. I think you are internally injured…"

"Go!" This time, the word possessed more desperation than anything. It was in his eyes, too… that desire to keep her safe. "I don't give damn if you are my superior! That's an order! Now, get out of here before it comes back!" Haru managed a nod, getting to her feet and beginning to turn, but that was as far as she got before she felt a sword at the side of her neck. In that moment, a flicker of reiatsu escaped her because she was showing her enemy the most vulnerable side of herself. The fear was swift to freeze, leaving behind only a composed mask. Haru stood slowly and peered over her shoulder with one eye. It was nothing that she hadn't expected, though he had appeared rather quickly and he still hadn't killed her.

"Yare, yare… a shinigami not in uniform?"

"For your information, it is my day off, and you are disrupting it."

"Well, that's just too damn bad, isn't it?" he demanded. By that point, Takumi was on his hands and knees, swaying from side to side but still set on picking a fight. She felt the espada's gaze burn into him as he pushed himself away from the ground.

"You had better… let her go, or I swear to the gods, I'll give you a taste of hell."

"Try it, shinigami scum." The worst part for Haru was actually watching him try it. He only got his sword half drawn before one leg flew past him, thrust straight against the wound in his chest, and threw him about thirty feet across the pavement. Once he finished moving, he didn't stir again, having completely lost consciousness. There was a smear of blood decorating the road, a red reminder that there was some form of attempt made to save Haru from whatever fate awaited her. It took a moment for the events to sink in, and the moment it did, his name tore past her lips in the form of a horrified scream.

"Takumi!" She would have raced to him, but a vice-like grip on her right wrist kept her from going more than a few feet. "Let me go!"

"The idiot brought it on himself." Haru watched the scene for a moment before it blurred into one undistinguishable color and cleared as she blinked, her eyes burning. "To think you'd get worked up over such a trivial thing…" He stopped talking as his eyes shifted to the figures flashing into view. Haru's first thought was that the fourth division had already come, but what stood before her was far worse than such a misfortune. Instead, she found herself looking first to one captain, then to the other. Both of them had their hands on their swords and seemed to be hell-bent on using them until she was jerked backwards and the blade was placed directly against her throat. She let out a hiss of displeasure as her back struck his chest, which didn't help the pain in the least. "Nobody move!" Haru's body went rigid as the cold metal pressed against her flesh. "Besides, you wouldn't want to hit the girl, would you? It'd be tragic." She realized her purpose to him in that moment, and that of the way she was being held. She was both the weapon against her fellow shinigami and the shield he would use to block their attacks. After a moment, she grew used to the concept, but not with the way he was looking at her, debating on whether it was worth while to risk her life. Hitsugaya seemed to decide it was if he had a clear shot at the invader, but the words of his companion deterred him from taking any course of action.

"Hitsugaya-taichou, do not draw your sword."

"Nande?" he demanded. "Are you really that foolish? If we don't do something, she'll wind up dead anyway!"

"I do not need you to remind me of that." Sighing, he relinquished his hold on Hyourinmaru's hilt, trying to find some kind of perk in the current arrangement. Working with a wall would have been more beneficial, especially since the wall would probably demonstrate more emotion. He began to rethink all his accusations against Haru regarding her dwelling and the one she dwelt with… until he saw the way she was peering at him. There was shame in her eyes, and apology, which eventually weighted her head until her eyes were not visible. He happened to catch sight of Byakuya's hand out of the corner of his eye as it curled into a fist and trembled.

"Fine," Hitsugaya retorted after some time had elapsed. "You've got her. Now, what exactly do you intend to do with her, espada?" This interested Haru very much, and though she was deep in thought until the moment Hitsugaya spoke, she paused long enough to listen to his response.

"Just taking her on a little field trip."

"Nani?"

"Well, she is the Yamashita girl, right? Aizen says she owes him a debt."

_Souka, _she thought, peering critically at the pavement.

"And from what I've heard, that clan's notorious for repaying their debts. Isn't that right?" The sword bit into her neck, and even from where she was standing, she could feel the rage in Byakuya's eyes. "He let you go when he could've killed you. Now, he wants you to pay your dues." Haru didn't speak, nor did she move. She simply let herself get swallowed up by her own thoughts, not daring to give any signal of awareness. "A life for a life. Isn't that the way it works? Neh, say something!"

_A life for a life? It sounds solid, but wait… that's right. He killed both my parents, and he killed Shimori-san. I can't forget that. And what about all the other people he has killed? All the people he has made suffer? Hinamori-san, and Toushiro-san, Rukia-san, Rangiku-san, Hirako-san… it's this perpetual chain of suffering! When will it end… how will it end… that is beyond me, yet the end is certain. _Haru felt the sword bite a little deeper and came back to conscious thought, watching as a trickle of her blood raced down the blade.

"Come on! Don't tell me I've got the wrong girl! Otherwise, I'll be so pissed, I've got to kill you!"

"This is your only warning: do not make me serious. It will be the last thing you ever do." Silence reigned for a brief moment but was dethroned by a diabolically amused laughter.

"You're joking, right? Look here… you're in no place to threaten me. See this sword?" He pushed the blade a little deeper, and another trickle of red raced down the blade. "I could cut your head off in one swing if I wanted to, so just stand there and cooperate until we get to Hueco Mundo. Then, maybe you can settle your damn debt and be done with it, neh?"

"Debt? That's right… I had almost forgotten," Haru said cryptically. Startled, Hitsugaya peered at Byakuya, whose eyes were now devoid of life.

"Haru… you can't tell me you actually intend to pay off this debt!"

"In time," she answered. "But he is greatly misconstruing the idea of debt. When he let me go, he seemed convinced that I was not worth the trouble of killing. Either that, or he intended to use me for some future purpose. Now, I see… the latter is true after all. He wishes to use me in his sick and twisted war against Seireitei." Haru raised her head slowly, shooting one eye towards her emerald-eyed captor, noting the traces of fear that entered his expression when that gaze struck him. "Aizen has already paid back two of the lives he took from me. He paid back Shimori-san's blood when I killed the hollow that devoured him, but more importantly, he paid back my mother's blood when he let me go. It seems rather foolish to pay the same debt twice, does it not?" He said nothing, only watched as the analytical light raced through that one visible cocktail of amethyst and silver. "The Yamashita blood is the only blood I haven't paid back yet."

"Eh?"

"Souka… you don't know? Aizen killed both my parents, and all I could do was watch." There was no emotion in her eyes when she spoke those words, and it was quite clear to her that the Espada was becoming unsettled very quickly. "You honestly have the gall to stand there and tell me I owe him something? I would rather he had killed me and been done with it, instead of leaving me to suffer with all these gods forsaken memories. Iie… I stopped fearing death a long time ago, so sword or no sword, I must decline your invitation, sexta espada. It would not make any logical sense." She turned back to Byakuya, her face a picture of seriousness that caused Hitsugaya's mouth to open a little. "Yare, yare… I told you not to make me serious."

Things happened rather quickly after that. He drew back the sword to take her head off of her shoulders, but before he could, something hard knocked against his knee, throwing off his balance. Before he could react, a flash of metal flew through the air and through his right shoulder. On the way down, it cut his wrist enough to make him relinquish his grip. A heel rammed against his foot as Haru ducked the swing that was intended to behead her. The blade soared directly over her head. He was barely given time to process he had missed before a knee flew into his solar plexus and a closed fist moved across his unshielded jaw. A satisfied smile worked over her face once he hit the ground, but those eyes that bore down on him remained serious. She took one step forward, and fury erupted on his expression. "You say I owe Aizen a life. If you return to Hueco Mundo now, without further action against my fellow shinigami, then I shall grant you the honor of telling Aizen his debt is repaid in person." The defiance remained, and she added in an undertone only he could hear, "You had better think twice about drawing that sword against me again. I will have help next time."

Haru turned to the two captains with a smile and flashed away, reappearing next to Takumi a moment later. She gazed at him for a moment, removing her haori and draping it over his stationary form in a way only a mother would. Then, she stood erect again, turning rapidly and catching the sword that was intended to sever her arm from her shoulder. Just as quickly, he drew back and prepared to swing down again, but Haru darted out of view. He then turned his sword on the helplessly unconscious Takumi. "Kuso," she said under her breath, flashing forward again. The sword would have cut her had not a figure come between her and the blade. Metal struck metal, and the roku symbol became even with her eyes. In one hand, Byakuya had his sword drawn. With the other, he pushed Haru backwards hard enough to make her trip over Takumi. Then, with one burst of his reiatsu, he managed to push the espada back. "Byakuya-sama…"

"At the moment, I care less about your pride than I do your life. For once, obey me." That was all he said before he flashed out of view. When his sword collided again with that of his opponent, the ground beneath her trembled. She could only watch in awe as the two exchanged blows at a startlingly rapid rate.

"Oy."

"H… hai, Hitsugaya-taichou?" she stammered, peering up at him from her present position.

"Don't ever get that look on your face again. Those were orders directly from your captain." Haru nodded her head, not wanting to take her eyes off the battle. Something stirred in her as she watched Byakuya fight, something that went far beyond the usual concern. After watching them exchange blows for a time, Haru struggled to her feet.

"Nande?" she inquired, her eyes darting about to follow the two figures. "It doesn't make sense. Why isn't he releasing his sword? He should have by now, but he hasn't. Nande?" It was so troubling that Haru bowed her head and clenched a fist. "Is it because I didn't? Is that it? Is he offended?"

"It's nothing like that," Hitsugaya retorted, turning to face the conflicted Haru. "He said it was your fight, that he'd only hold the espada off. I was told not to interfere, and since he's my superior, I don't have much of a choice. The task of getting rid of him is yours and yours alone, no matter what it takes. That is why Kuchiki-taichou will not use shikai." Haru bowed her head, considering the matter for a moment, gazing at the figure lying by her feet, feebly drawing swift and shallow breaths. Then, she realized that one eye was visible, peering at her.

"Ta… taichou…" he murmured in a voice only she could hear.

"Takumi-san," she stammered, kneeling again and staring at him. Hitsugaya's eyes moved to her, studying her interactions with the half-conscious shinigami. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore… I can't remember what happened. I was just… thinking on the rooftop when out of nowhere…"

"Save your strength. You'll do me no good if you're dead." Despite her efforts to hide the scratch at the side of her neck, Takumi was swift to spot it. His expression turned shameful in an instant.

"Go… gomenasai," he managed, shutting his eyes. "I couldn't stop him."

"Do not concern yourself with it. You can't win every time." He came to some sort of realization, peering at the fabric draped over him.

"Your haori…"

"Lay still. I will take care of things, alright?"

"Can you… even…"

"Honestly," Haru said in a tone full of mock sharpness. "If I can handle you and Ichigo, then I think I am more than capable of handling that." Haru thrust her finger towards the espada, who happened to be peering at her during the temporary hiatus of blows. She peered over her shoulder at him, giving him a heated look of competition, and rose to her feet, milling over the words Byakuya had sent along with Hitsugaya. _Those words… _Haru paced forward, wrapping one hand around Suzaku and peering at Hitsugaya. "Will you please look after him for me?"

"Who is he?"

"Just a coworker," Haru responded. "Roku bantai nanaseki, Fujiwara Takumi."

"Fujiwara?" She gave him a slight glare at the tone in which his echo was delivered, startled and almost offended. Then, she turned fully away, sending every end of her hair turning with her. They hovered in the air for a moment before settling where they had been.

_No matter what it takes, hmm? _She relinquished the grip on her sword and allowed her eyes to close, gauging the concentration of spirit particles in the air as she often did. The conditions were favorable, and with her exhale, her face became a picture of placidity. _Suzaku, _she said to her sword, _just how far are you willing to go? _Haru became completely unaware of her surroundings, which included the conversation going on between her captain and the invading espada.

"What? You done already?" Byakuya said nothing; he simply glared. "Come on… you've had all the time in the world!"

"My motives are none of your concern." The espada scoffed at the comment, changing his footing as he peered at the motionless girl below.

"Doesn't matter, anyway." Finding himself facing empty air, Byakuya whirled around to find the new target was Haru and that the espada wasted no time preparing to directly attack. "You'll just have to wait until next time. This one is the only thing I came for!" Hitsugaya shouted her name, but she remained oblivious. There was nothing now but what rested within. At the very moment the espada's sword reached its apex, Haru was standing face to face with her zanpakutoh's avatar.

"How far?" Haru asked again, stepping forward and casting a white shadow across her blank surroundings. "How far are you willing to let me go, Suzaku?"

"That is not my decision."

"Of course it is. You are my zanpakutoh. You are a part of me."

"Yet you are my wielder," the bird responded. "It matters not how far I am willing to let you go. The real question is, how far will you go for him?" Startled Haru stopped in her tracks, gazing at Suzaku with bewildered eyes. Even there, she could feel the blush work its way across her face. "I see it more and more everyday. He is in your thoughts, your dreams… he is the object of your concerns and your desires. Do not deny it, Haru-sama. I know better, for as you said, I am a part of you."

"It's not possible," Haru responded. "The Yamashita clan would never…"

"Yamashita?" the phoenix scoffed, curling through the air and peering directly into Haru's eyes. Since it didn't look right for the bird to simply be floating, Haru placed her hands under Suzaku's wings and lowered her slightly. The wings relaxed, and the tail feathers swayed gently until she blinked. "They have no say over this matter. If you let them, then you are foolish. Now," Suzaku stated, "I will ask you again. How far are you willing to go for him?" The answer was plain on Haru's face, the raw determination, the certainty, the brilliant light flickering through her eyes as the void was disrupted and the walls broke away. Haru was standing on the sky again, suspended just above a pond that was constantly struck by a gently falling rain. "I am your one and only blade, Haru-sama. Now, wield me."

Metal crashed on metal, scattering the silence and bringing her back to the matter at hand. She felt the power surging through her like a downpour, one that she kept carefully controlled for the sake of appearances more than anything. Her eyes appeared suddenly, a vivid flash of violet that seemed to be one with the world. They shifted first to the startled look on the espada's face, then to her own sword, which had taken on its shikai form the moment it was drawn. The red ribbon hovered in the air despite the obvious lack of wind, trailing over Haru's shoulder and arching as she turned her sword and slammed it against his, throwing him far enough back to grant her some peace of mind. She sent one look to Byakuya-sama, a silent warning to move, before bolting forward. Somehow, he derived meaning from it, reappearing next to Hitsugaya a moment later just in time to see Haru ram her sword against that of her enemy.

"You should go," Hitsugaya said to him.

"Though you have every intention of staying?" Sapphire met jade, and Hitusgaya's posture suddenly became more rigid.

"With one hand," he said quietly, clenching his fist and bowing his head. "How is it that with one hand, she can block the two-handed strike of an espada? I don't understand any of this. It makes no sense. Her reiatsu, while it is stronger than most, surely is not that powerful." It seemed to trouble Byakuya, too, as his face turned hard with gravity. Another clang brought him back, this one sharper than before, and Haru retreated a bit in order to put some additional speed behind her blow. She swung upwards to meet the sideways strike aimed at her with enough force to reverse the espada's blade and push it towards the ground. When her sword stopped turning, her body did not, as he soon found out. After dropping into a crouch, Haru curved her right foot around his ankle, toppling his balance, and pushed herself forward with her left. Despite the risky nature of her tactic, her eyes were confident, and they burned into her prey until the very moment her first swept across his jaw, throwing him backwards. For all her efforts, he still landed on his feet like a cat, glowering at having received a direct hit.

"You will give that message to Aizen when you return, along with this addition: the only way that asshole is ever getting me into Hueco Mundo is if he kills me with his own two hands and drags my lifeless corpse there."

"Careful what ya wish for." Haru sighed heavily and half lowered her sword.

"Look," she retorted. "I really don't want to get anymore serious than I already have. I will if I feel the need, but I would be disobeying orders. Byakuya-sama dislikes it when I get serious." The espada scoffed again, narrowing his emerald eyes and spitting the blood out of the side of his mouth.

"So, you sold your soul to the shinigami to escape your inevitable fate? Hah! You still don't get it? Aizen-sama owns you. He decides whether or not you live or die, and where you live, and how you live. It's not your soul to sell! Don't like it? Then get the hell over it!" he snarled, racing forward again.

"I am Yamashita Haru," she murmured darkly, erecting her sword and summoning a crimson glow. He half reconsidered his attack but was too late in doing so. "Nobody owns me." After shifting her feet slightly and raising the sword to its apex, Haru brought it down, and suddenly, there was nothing but red flames around him. Before they could do any real harm, they were shattered by an eerie yellow beam of light, fizzling out to nothing as it drew him into the gap in the sky. Haru lowered her sword, knowing that any further attempts would be in vain.

"Don't count on this being over," he stated. Her grasp remained firm as those words sunk into her. "He ain't ready to quit on you." Detecting the resentment in his tone, Haru cast her eyes towards the sword, trying to read the pearly reflections on the blade. "You still owe him a debt. He'll see it paid, even if he has to spill blood for it." She was happy to be rid of his presence and at the same time troubled, for only after he disappeared did she realize her hands were trembling from the force of her grip. The weight of the matter all fell on her at once: how close she had been to letting herself go, the promise of more bloodshed, the fact that she had been merely one step away from being touched and subsequently engulfed by the negación… those considerations alone were enough to obliterate her sanity. Breathing in gasps, she stared at her shadow until her legs nearly gave out.

_Damn you, _she thought, her eyes flickering venomously. _Damn you, Aizen Sousuke…_

"Haru-sama." The voice brought her back, and she instantly straightened her posture, putting on a mask of placidity as she peered at her addresser. "Sumimasen… I was told to come by Hinamori-san, but it took me a little while because I was detained."

"Hajime," she murmured, at last letting her arms relax.

"You don't look injured… just a little shaken." He peered at the two captains and at the figure resting behind them. He had managed to sit up again, gripping his midriff with a slightly quivering hand, his eyes alight with a shame he hadn't yet seen his companion display. "Oy, Takumi… you still alive?"

"Yeah, alive enough," he retorted, getting to his feet and staggering, not because of the three pairs of eyes gazing at him, but because some kind of sharp pain bit through his concentration every time he moved. Glancing at his hand, he saw it was covered in blood and recalled his previous wounds.

"Baka! Don't move around, or you'll just do more harm!"

"Sorry, Hajime. You aren't the boss of…"

"You will do as he says." The words came from Haru, who was facing away from him, staring at the sky the espada had disappeared behind. Hitsugaya glanced back and waited for his reaction only to find the wounded shinigami smiling despite his obvious discomfort.

"Fine, fine, but only because you told me to," he retorted, falling to one knee and settling himself. Hajime shook his head in bewilderment to see Byakuya looking thrice as serious as he had during their last meeting, to see the startled look on Hitsugaya's face, and to see Takumi being obedient of all things. What Haru was thinking or surmising behind that mask, Hajime could only guess; her look was inscrutable.

"You will look after him, won't you?" she inquired, still facing away from Hajime. The pain overtook her for an instant, and she flinched, wrapping an arm around her stomach as she cast a glance in his direction.

"You can count on me."

"Arigato, Hajime-san." The tone she spoke in sounded doleful, but he wasted no time analyzing it. He had been given a request, and he sought to fulfill it to the best of his abilities. Takumi was peering up at Byakuya, processing the warmth of the haori around his shoulders as those cold eyes stared down at him. They shot to Haru for a moment, to the figure pacing slowly away with one arm wrapped around herself and a sword in the other. Troubled, he pulled the blue-violet garment off of his shoulders and extended it to Byakuya.

"You think you could return this for me? I'd do it myself, but if you want your office cleaned, I'll have to spend the rest of the day recuperating." Wordlessly, Byakuya removed it from Takumi's grasp. "I was careful not to get any blood on it, so… just thank her if you could." His understanding of the request was clear, and while he wasn't normally one to play messenger, he could not refuse in this instance because those words would take him closer to the one he wished to be near. Once Hajime set to his task, he began to withdraw, hearing the conversation behind him without really listening.

"Jeez, Takumi… a seventh seat reduced to this?"

"He snuck up on me, okay? And even if he hadn't, it's not like I could do anything, anyway." That last part seemed to be some kind of secret between the two of them one that Hitsugaya failed to understand despite his knowledge of its presence.

"You're lucky to be alive," Hitsugaya notified him. "The espada are not usually so forgiving."

"I'll bet he kept me alive just to kill me later," Takumi retorted, glancing up at the expression of focus on Hajime's face. "Something bugging you, Hajime?"

"Iie, except…" He half smiled at the recollection. "I have to wonder why Hinamori-san keeps calling her 'taichou.'" The parting steps stopped for a moment, and the shadow if Hitsugaya suddenly seemed a little overbearing.

"How should I know?" he demanded. "Honestly, I'm wounded and you're interrogating me? Maybe she hasn't woken all the way up yet. As if anyone would be stupid enough to make that kind of mistake." Things felt normal again after he said those words in such an ardent tone. Hitsugaya remained to write his report, half-tempted to ask Byakuya to provide any information Haru might have to offer. That was when he realized they were two presences shorter than they had been. Neither Haru nor Byakuya were in sight, nor were they in a detectable range, so rather than waste more time waiting for them to return, he resolved to compose the report himself, assuming that Byakuya had more than enough to worry about.

* * *

_What is this?_ Other than that question, Haru's mind was empty of everything. _This feeling… as if my heart is being ripped out of my chest, as if that thing I am certain must be a lie must be true. What debt would I owe to Aizen? He slaughtered my parents; the only thing I owe him is a punch in the damn face at the very least. If I had inherited my father's ruthless side, I would take his head. What a misfortune that I didn't… _Haru continued pacing along at a brisk pace, ignoring the chill working over her body and that faint feeling that she was being watched. _If I hadn't hesitated, then I could have just gotten rid of him now. Instead, he left me with those words… _The virtual promise of more dreariness and death weighed heavily on her heart, but not as heavily as the ache in her back. _He's wrong… he has to be wrong… what would I owe him? And why does it bother me so much? _

Haru knew very well why it did, for while she hadn't inherited the cutthroat nature of her clan, she had inherited that obsession with pride, and repaying debts played a huge part in the maintenance of that pride. She touched the scathe in her neck, cursing her existence and the pavement under her feet as she did so. _I am more concerned with what he will do if I continue to resist. What if he goes after those people? Can I really live with a clear conscience, knowing people have died for my freedom? Who am I kidding… people already have. Otousan, okaasan, Shimori-san… if the bodies pile up, then my sanity will break, and I will eventually cave. _The ache in her back was a reassuring reminder of her connection to sanity, to emotion, and to the things she held dear. When the ache grew too great, she paused, swayed, fell to one knee. Darkness did not seem far off, and had it not been for the chill in the air, she would have been long gone. The wind blew past her, carrying the first races of the autumn chill with it and causing her to shudder and rub her arms. _What would you say… if you knew all of this? If you knew I was thinking these things, if you knew the true extent of my power, if you knew… Soutaichou-sama's plans for me, would you honestly be able to lay next to me at night?_

Woefully, Haru bowed her head, pushing the point of her zanpakutoh into the ground in order to stand fully. That was when she noticed the presence of not one shadow but two. She turned to face him with a slight gasp, shrinking away at the serious expression on his face. It was something she should have been used to, yet the magnitude and depth of that particular gravity left her unable to look him straight in the eye. When the wind blew again, she attempted to refrain from shivering, but her shoulders gave her away, quaking as he drew closer. Byakuya, taking it as a subtle form of rejection, refrained from coming nearer than he had to. He minded that his skin never touched her own, not even as he shook the haori out and draped it over her shoulders, earning him one questioning, pained glance before her eyes dropped again.

"I was told to return this."

"Arigato," she said quietly.

"Fujiwara Takumi asked me to thank you." This time, all he received was a nod, one that served to dishearten him farther. It took every ounce of control in him to keep from reaching out and touching the dejected girl standing before him. "May I ask why you left the manor today when I explicitly told you not to?"

"I only left to visit Hinamori-san. I honestly didn't expect to get thrown into a fight, not with an espada, and especially not by the captain who gave me a day's reprieve to recover."

"It is not as if you were using it in the way I allotted it," he returned. Haru flinched again because his tone stung. The anger in it was unbearable. "You allowed him to escape. Why? He would not have granted you the same mercy. You could have destroyed him with that sword, with your kidou, with anything, yet you still refused to act." She clenched her fist tightly around the blade, hating the tone he was using more and more. "When you escaped your status as a hostage and became a shinigami once more, the look on your face was undeniable. Only one word can describe it: murderous."

"Hitsugaya-taichou told me you did not want to see that expression again."

"You are damn right I don't," he said firmly. Haru still refused to look at him, which pushed his frustration over the edge. Seizing the wrist of Haru's right hand, which was still wrapped around her zanpakutoh, he pulled it above her head so the sword's luster would become visible. "This sword… tell me, what is this sword for, Haru? Can you bear the weight of having lost?"

"Victory is something that requires patience. It cannot be gained in one battle."

"It could have if you had used it the way it was intended to be used!" He had said it with more emotion than he had intended. Still, that didn't mean the words were painless to Haru, who stared at his feet helplessly beneath the onslaught. "All this time, and you are still holding back, even when the moment was right to utilize your greatest strength…"

"That power is not something to be used frivolously," she interjected. "I will not jeopardize the lives of bystanders." The grip on her wrist tightened, causing her to grit her teeth and bow her head even farther. Then, by degrees, he relinquished his hold entirely, turning away yet not walking anywhere.

"Next time," he continued in a more composed tone, "I expect you to recognize the right moment, unless you want to risk having others pay for your hesitance with their blood." Byakuya knew there was nothing more to be said and so began back towards his office only to pause at the footsteps following him. He cast one glance over his shoulder and would have left it at that had it not been for the fact that Haru was now looking at him, terrified, shaken, and altogether anything but composed. "Return home. I will only be another hour or so."

"Byakuya-sama…"

"And once you are there, I expect you to stay there this time." Byakuya didn't even manage one step before the sword fell gently against the ground. He turned back to see why Haru had dropped it, just to make sure she hadn't lost consciousness. He was given no time to resist, and no time to process. All his mind was capable of conceiving was that, suddenly, Haru's arms were wrapped around him, her face was buried against his chest, and her entire frame was trembling. "Haru-kun…" Resolved not to get swept away by his own feelings, he fought off the faint blush rising in his cheeks and managed to add, "Let me go."

"I won't."

"Haru-kun…"

"I won't," she repeated, this time a little louder. "Just for a little while, Byakuya-sama, can you… please…" Powerless to remove her from his grasp, and even more powerless to cling to his fading restraint, Byakuya finally let his arms move. They grasped her so tightly that her gasp made its way to his ears, a mixture of pain and euphoria. Then, her eyes fell shut so there was nothing around her. She was only aware of the warm arms that encircled her. A hand pressed against the back of her head, moving slowly down the length of her hair, a gesture that brought a trace of shock to her face.

"Tell me to stop."

"Iie," she answered. "If you stop now, you might not remember." Byakuya wasn't sure what she meant by those words, but his hand continued moving. He allowed the strands of hair to flow through his fingers, and despite their light weight, Haru flinched when they struck her back. The nagging feeling of unfilled responsibility goaded him to finally rest his hands on her shoulders and push her away. Byakuya's eyes bore into her own for an instant, full of that familiar light that affirmed his feelings. Then, he left Haru behind with difficulty, trekking towards his office to finish that final stack of papers, hopefully before the hour of dinner arrived.

"We will talk when I arrive home," he stated, "but only if you desire it."

"Hai." Her voice sounded a little lighter now than it had, but it was still clear Haru had some things to think over, so they parted ways without speaking again.

* * *

Renji's own impatience aided Byakuya in fulfilling his desire to return home. He couldn't understand why the redhead was so ardent to leave the office at a reasonable hour, but he silently praised whatever force it was that compelled his vice captain to work straight through the day without saying a word about his unexpected, hasty departure. Once it was finished, Renji left in much the same manner he had worked. "Renji," Byakuya noted just before the redhead exited.

"Hai, taichou?"

"You have been unusually quiet today."

"Maybe I've just got stuff on my mind."

"A pleasant change," he noted. "While the details are in no way, shape, or form my business, I do request that you sort these things out by morning." Suddenly, he paused, staring at the doorframe as if he wanted to ask a question. Byakuya took note of it but said nothing, expecting Renji to take his troubles elsewhere, but as fate was prone to do when she deemed the Kuchiki too certain, she proved him wrong.

"Is she alright?"

"Hmm?"

"Haru, I mean, if you wouldn't mind telling me." Silence devoured their conversation as Renji's hand tightened around the doorframe and one hesitant eye wandered back to the regal captain. "It's just… I have this feelin'. You know, like somethin' serious happened. She's been missin' a lot of time here, and even if she ain't been with us for long, it still doesn't feel the same without her." For the first time ever, Byakuya let his head drop a little in Renji's presence, staring at the lacquered surface of his desk, noting the subtle reflections in it as he became engulfed in a sea of thoughts. "Taichou?"

"I don't know," he said at last. "I just… don't know."

"Figures," Renji replied, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, it can't be anything serious if she's keeping secrets. She's always been that enigmatic type, always holding something back…"

"Yes, and it is exactly that withholding that most troubles me." Byakuya rose from his desk, drifting across the room and folding his arms behind his back while he surveyed his surroundings. "If you were faced with an espada as your opponent, you would not hesitate to use every ounce of your power to make sure it was destroyed, especially if it was here in Soul Society. But Haru-kun…" He stopped, hearing the melancholy note in his voice. "I assumed she would be the type to forget her restraint when the moment called for it."

"Well, maybe it just wasn't the right moment for her. People are diff—matte! Haru fought an espada? Here?" Byakuya seemed much more relaxed now, exiting his office as his scarf trailed behind him.

"You certainly catch on quickly."

"The hell is with the sarcasm, taichou?" he demanded, but Byakuya silently declined the right to explain himself. His vice captain was back to normal, so he had more pressing matters to attend to. After removing his sandals at the door, he proceeded down the hallway, a glimmer of knowing flickering in his eyes. Sure enough, he found her in the garden, cutting through the air repetitively with her sword. Sweat covered her brow, furrowed with thought until the very moment the door opened, at which point, she turned to her visitor with a quizzical look. She was midway through her swing, and seeing him, Haru slowly finished it.

"Continue." Haru peered at him as if his words held no meaning unless his motives were explained. "I would like to see you swing your sword without anything on the other end. That way, there will be no need for you to hesitate." Smiling faintly, she obeyed and raised it again.

"Is that what you think?" Down it came in one swift stroke, making a pleasant sound as the air raced away from the blade. Byakuya analyzed her movement, following the sword with his eyes as its point climbed. "Just the fact that you are watching makes me hesitate." The blade came down again, pausing as Haru followed Byakuya with her eyes. He crossed the garden, seating himself in the shade of a tree whose leaves would soon begin to turn.

"You have no reason to hold back, Haru-kun. I am simply here to observe."

"As if that helps matters," she answered as she made a downward cut with her sword. "About today, I apologize if I disappointed you."

"Come again?"

"He got away because I didn't kill him." Another swing, then silence as Haru's sword arced through the air and returned to its apex, preparing to dive. "I didn't act quickly enough. I let him march right down here, then march back out while still relatively in tact. That violates my pride as a shinigami. It will not happen again." Her final sentence was spoken in a dark tone, the one that caused him to feel such pain, but in being stoic, Byakuya made no mention of it verbally or otherwise. He simply listened to the sword fall again with his eyes shut, analyzing the sound of it. "That reminds me, I still have yet to fulfill the promise I made to you yesterday."

"What promise was that?" Haru sliced through the air, keeping one eye fixed on Byakuya for a moment. It disappeared as she raised the blade again.

"Have you forgotten? I said I would let you wash my back without squirming, though considering how sore it is, I may not be able to fulfill that promise yet."

"It is fine, as long as I can get close to you." A noticeable pink tint rose in her cheeks at those words. After swallowing, Haru swung again.

"I swear, sometimes you say the strangest things, Byakuya-sama."

"While I do admit I enjoy seeing your reactions, the chief reason I say these things is because I mean them." Haru paused again, her face turning a bit darker as she bowed her head. He felt that discomfort again, that unknowing knowledge Haru had yet to sort out. _Even the hour wasn't enough. It must be something serious. _The moment passed as if nothing had happened, and the sword continued its cycle of rising and falling, this time with an extra ounce of determination devoted to remaining focused. Byakuya studied her for a moment before rising to his feet, and Haru paused, detecting his movement. Bewildered, she lowered her sword, watching his approach with uncertainty. His hands remained at his sides despite her suspicion that he would unexpectedly draw his own sword and drag her into a battle. Instead, Byakuya stood directly behind her, reaching in front of her to enclose her hands with his and pulling her back against his chest. The mortification on her face was wild, as if it was the first time he had ever laid hands on her.

"Byakuya-sama…"

"You need to straighten your shoulders a little," he said against her ear while lifting Suzaku in conjunction with her by degrees. "By the time this sword is level with your eyes, your arms should be completely straight to catch anything in the possible range. More importantly, when you swing, you need to swing with your whole self, mind, body, and soul. You must will it and back it with confidence if it is to mean anything, much like the way I use my words." Haru expected more than that, but he said nothing as he withdrew. Her posture remained exactly the same as it had when he was instructing her, petrified by that warm buzz creeping across the flesh of her back. A brisk gust of wind raced across her bare arms, making her wish she had kept her haori on, and she would have if she didn't have a distaste for being hindered by sleeves.

The leaves behind her rustled to fill the silence until, at last, Haru's sword dropped. At that very moment, the first leaf descended, and Haru changed directions once she had followed through, making an upward cut that was free of the distractions her thought had been causing her. A violet-silvery eye watched the two pieces separate and drift in similar directions. Then, she turned to Byakuya, who was smiling faintly at her accomplishment as he paced forward to meet her. She felt the weight of his hands on her shoulders, but the weight in his eyes was considerably greater. "That is it," he murmured. "Next time you are in a life or death battle, I want you to swing your sword just like that. That way…" His head sank slowly onto her shoulder, and as it fell, he finished his sentence, his eyes finally dropping out of view with a sigh. "That way, I do not have to wonder whether or not I will be sleeping alone."

"Byakuya-sama…" Haru didn't speak for a moment after that. A pair of arms wound around his neck, one finger trialing along his ebony hair and causing him to elicit one difficult sigh. "Gomenasai. I worried you again." At the word "worried," he pressed harder against Haru's shoulder, wrapping his arms around her waist and drawing her closer. Once a still moment had passed, Haru realized he was smirking against her shoulder, and the reason why soon became exceedingly clear. One finger trailed along her spine, upwards towards her neck. That was all it took to send her into a frenzy of quivering. "Bya… Byakuya-sama, onegai…" He didn't permit her to complete her objection, for before she could, his lips rested against hers, effectively silencing her. The familiar fire burned in her cheeks as she got lost in the sapphire orbs staring into her eyes. Eventually, they fell shut, and Haru was swept away by the emotions laced through his ministration. Thoughts were impossible, but she did recognize the distance that seemed to grow between her and everything else in the world when she was so close to him.

Having satisfied his appetite, Byakuya drew away, flashing her a ghost of a smile as he dragged one pale finger across her burning cheek. The weakness in her legs was apparent in the way she clung to him, asking him silently for support. "Good?" he murmured in the tone of voice that always sent chills up her spine. The question deepened her blush, and she half pushed him away, bowing her head to hide the mortification on her face.

"Baka… what kind of question is that? For heaven's sake, where is your propriety?"

"I left it at the office," he answered. "Besides, the way you are dressed…"

"What about it? It is hardly any different than what I wear every other day."

"The colors suit you." Byakuya took a lock of hair and began working it between his fingers. "You are not wearing your glasses, so the silver and violet in your eyes complements the color scheme. You even left your hair hanging freely." Gently, he cupped Haru's face in his hands and tilted it upward to give him a better view of her own optics, which flickered with uncertainty. "To me, you are irresistible, even if you vex me to no end with your secrecy and your hesitation." Those eyes crept closer as he leaned forward, adjusting the angle of Haru's face. The violet eyes were half-lidded and expectant, but they shot open once she realized his target was not what she had first thought. His lips pressed gently against her forehead, drawing that curious glint out in her eyes. "Sukidayo, Haru-kun."

He drew away, leaving Haru standing in the middle of the garden, petrified by those words and the way he had said them with such sincerity. "Haru-kun."

"H… hai!" she shouted, ramming her zanpakutoh into its sheath and following him. She wondered what expression Byakuya was wearing, but his hand was reaching back for hers. _This man… _she thought, placing her fingers against his palm to signal her presence. _This man is surely… too good to me. _That particular notion sent her scurrying forward. Her free hand closed around his scarf, and Haru buried her face against the roku on the back of his haori, which in turn caused him to stop walking.

"Nandesuka?"

"I… just wanted to be closer to you is all." Byakuya accepted the answer without question, allowing her to continue clinging.

"I know how sore your back is. Would it not be wiser to put off fulfilling your promise for another night?" Haru was silent for a time. She didn't want to say anything, for while part of her knew it was best, the other part rejected the right to deny him anything he asked. "You know, I do believe that, just this once, I would like to exercise this concept of patience you keep telling me about." Gasping, she drew away and stared at him, taken aback by the mere thought. Upon seeing her horror, Byakuya gave a slight smile. "Nani? Do you not think I am capable of patience, Haru-kun?"

"Iie, demo…" By continuing forward, he refused to hear any other objections. If they delayed any longer, they risked eating a cold dinner, and while Byakuya's largest appetite at the moment was for Haru's company, he could not ignore the likelihood that she had not eaten all day. The fact that his own stomach was chastising him did not help matters. Though the food would help, it was inevitable that the thing he wanted most would not be served, some sort of concrete evidence or indicator that revealed Haru's true feelings. She still seemed somberly pensive to him, so Byakuya reached the decision that, despite his curiosity, it was best to grant her some time after dinner in solitude.

* * *

Byakuya cursed inwardly as the fang of his curiosity sank deeper into his mind, driving away all thoughts that had nothing to do with Haru until they were thoroughly banished and the girl was the only thing on his conscious mind. The steam, if it was trying to drive those thoughts away, did him absolutely no good. Sighing, he felt the ardent desire to put those feelings to rest. The uncertainty was more unbearable than outright rejection. It hounded on the way to the office in the morning and on his way to sleep at night. As hard as the water worked, it could not put his mind at ease. He left the bath feeling just as discontented as he had when he entered it.

_This is foolish, _he told himself as he paced back towards his bedroom. _I never had to struggle like this with Hisana. Things were so clear with her. I thought they were with Haru-kun, but… now I find myself losing faith. She has expressed some things in the past, but nothing is ever explicit with her. _Byakuya came to his own door and sighed, hesitating to pull it open. _I suppose I am hoping for too much. Haru-kun is hardly explicit about anything. _The silvery moonlight poured in the window, illuminating Haru's erect figure. She was facing away from him, holding something in her right hand and tilting it thoughtfully before raising the dish to her lips and draining it of its contents. "Haru…kun." Her eyes moved to him, placid and resolved. They followed Byakuya as he crossed the room and dropped to his knees next to her. Seizing her chin, he planted a gentle kiss on her lips, but Haru was not all he tasted. "You've been drinking."

"I needed something to clear my head," she responded in startlingly clear words. "Forgive me for not asking permission first." Byakuya reached behind her and retrieved the bottle, shaking it contemplatively. It was about half-empty, so by all reasoning, she should have been at least a little drunk, but recalling who her mother was, he resolved not to worry about it. Sighing, he refilled her cup, staring at the moon and waiting for her to drink it. "Does it trouble you?"

"I am just surprised that you would go to such lengths."

"Things were getting in the way, but I think I've figured it out. This will be one of the only times you see me drink sake." She moved her cup again, watching the ripples on its surface. "It still stings on the way down. Then again, I am not a regular consumer." Haru sipped it thoughtfully, her eyes half-closing while she gazed at the moon and recalled faintly the quarrel she had with Takumi the night before under that same moon. "Did Takumi come to see you today?"

"I told him to clean the office as punishment for his hostility. I also made it clear that, should he ever take such measures against you again, I will be taking his head."

"You worry too much," Haru answered, smiling and leaning against his shoulder. "It is unlikely that Takumi will raise his blade against me again. He knows on some level that I was holding back against that espada today." She finished drinking the cup's contents, sighing contently at the cool feeling of Byakuya's yukata against her cheek. "Is it wrong for me to sympathize him?"

"That is subjective."

"Do you think it is wrong, then?" Byakuya didn't answer, but he did remove the dish from her grasp. Haru watched as he tilted the bottle, filling it with an unusually steady hand. Then, he began the slow process of taking it in, musing over its flavor and aroma as he did so. He peered at Haru for an instant before leaning over and capturing her lips. There was still a bit of sake remaining in his mouth, but for some reason, it tasted sweeter to her than it did straight out of the bottle. The thought of Byakuya's ministration sent a new sort of fire to her cheeks, and when he tried to draw away before she had fully come to realize the implications behind it, she threw her arms around his neck to maintain contact. "I swear," she murmured once she drew away. "Even when you do things like this to delay giving an answer, my head still swims every time."

"Then you like it?"

"Have I ever said I didn't?" Smiling, Haru leaned against his shoulder again, relishing the feeling of his arms winding around her waist and drawing her closer. "You never answered my question."

"It is hard for me to say what I think. That boy is unusually impudent. At the same time, I know he has potential, and if given the right guidance, he will build himself a decent reputation despite his name."

"It is rather troublesome that his zanpakutoh obliterates his ability to think freely. However, I am not giving up hope yet. I know he will put himself to good use for Seireitei in the coming months." Haru peered up at the stoic captain, whose eyes were no longer fixed on the moon but on the moonlight reflected in her own gaze. "I appreciate everything you have done for me, Byakuya-sama, and for Takumi as well."

"I only helped him to avoid causing you pain. That is rather pathetic, is it not?"

"Baka," she murmured, resting her hands against his own. "When did caring for someone become pathetic?"

"When it went beyond my personal life and into my professional life." Haru sighed and leaned back until she felt his chest, then shifted to bring herself back to consciousness.

"I apologize for causing you so much trouble."

"That is not something you should apologize for. Besides, I am just as troublesome for you, or so you have told me many times." A slight laugh broke the silence, followed by the gentle sound of Byakuya transporting the empty sake dish and the still partly full bottle to the tray. After that, his whole attention was on Haru, who seemed to be lurking on the edge of cowardice and courage. Just when the silence was beginning to break his sanity, she spoke.

"Neh, Byakuya-sama?"

"Hmm?"

"They're going… to make me the head of the Yamashita clan."

"I know," he answered.

"Ojii-sama requested that I perform the soul burial."

"Souka," he answered. "Will you do it?"

"I will need some time off to go to Tokyo. Whether I do the soul burial or not, it has become evident to me that he is dying, and that he wants to see me before he takes his final breath." Byakuya's grasp around her tightened, reawakening that feeling she frequently got when she was around him of late. His words struck her ear gently, but they still caused her to tremble slightly.

"As long as you promise to come back, I care not where you go." She allowed his response to comfort her and pressed harder against his shoulder, until another thought crossed her mind, and her eyes wandered up to his.

"Neh, Byakuya-sama?"

"Hmm?"

"Soutaichou-sama… wants to make me a captain."

"I know," he replied. Haru tilted her head quizzically as he held her even tighter, though it was nowhere near the point of discomfort.

"I'm not supposed to tell anyone, so how did you know?"

"I surmised it."

"Souka," she answered, letting her head drop a bit. "You are… not angry with me?"

"For something of this nature, I can only feel pride, Haru-kun." Byakuya's chin touched her forehead as he leaned forward, and Haru shifted her legs so they were stretched out before her prior to his continuance. "It is hard to believe you have only been here for a few months. The fact that you have grown so much in power is… well, it is wonderful. Still, do you think you are ready?" She shook her head in response and tilted her head so she could hear the heartbeat of the noble, quick yet somehow controlled.

"I haven't gotten that feeling yet."

"That feeling?"

"You remember… captainhood is a feeling, not just a status."

"That is right," he murmured. "I almost forgot." For a moment, he said nothing. He simply enjoyed holding the girl in his arms, wondering if it was Haru or the alcohol talking. There was no way it couldn't be Haru; the rational notes in her voice were not softened by the sake, but the words did come a little easier. "We should rest," he said at length.

"Not yet. Let me stay like this… for just a little while longer." Haru faintly detected one pale finger brush her hair away from her neck. The very instant a pair of lips pressed against it, she blushed and tightened her hold on his hand, letting her head fall to the side.

"So, your back is not the only sensitive area on your body?"

"Who… whoever said I was sensitive?" she demanded, a slight quaver in her voice. "Maybe I just like the way it feels."

"Hmm," he responded, sighing against it. "Perhaps you did drink a little too much."

"Nonsense. I limit myself to four."

"Four cups?"

"Iie, four bottles, and I only had half." Suddenly, those sapphires glazed over with astonishment. "Nandesuka?"

"Have you ever even drank that much?"

"Of course not," she replied. "I don't think I ever will. I know okaasan could drink, but even that little bit makes my face feel like it's burning up."

"I think that has less to do with the sake and more to do with the fact that you are blushing." Byakuya smiled slightly when her eyes shot up to his. "Kawaii."

"Urusai!" Haru struggled to get away for a moment, but she found herself trapped by his embrace. Sighing, she succumbed to it, leaning against his chest again with a defeated sigh. "You feel warm. Are you getting ill?"

"Doubtful."

"Please take care of your health. I don't want to have to worry about you while I'm working."

"Then we really should get some rest." Byakuya relinquished his hold on Haru, leaving her feeling suddenly cold. Sliding under the covers, he turned away from her, musing over the truths she had divulged to him. A moment later, he felt Haru join him, keeping her distance but gazing at his back as if she desired something. His efforts to ignore it were vain. Every time he attempted to put his mind back on track, he thought of that pitiful expression.

"Neh, Byakuya-sama…" It was with a frustrated sigh that he turned to face her with eyes frozen over by hours and hours of cyclical rumination. The moment he did, he found his lips captured in a chaste kiss, after which she inched away just enough to look him straight in the eye. "Sukidayo." Byakuya found himself incapable of speaking for a moment. He gazed at her incredulously, trying to process that one simple word and failing his brain could not do so without his sentiments interfering. "Nani? You honestly didn't know that?"

"How was I to know? You never said it." Shamefully, Haru buried her face in his chest, clutching the folds of his sleeping kimono with trembling hands.

"Please forgive me… if keeping these secrets has hurt you…"

"Shh… no more of that," he whispered, shifting his weight to one arm and pressing a finger against her lips. "I'm not hurt. I was just was worried… worried that you were having second thoughts… worried that you would leave me. Yet despite all that, I cannot truly say anything you have kept from me has ever caused me genuine pain. This last revelation…" Haru couldn't see his face, but the hand that kept her lips from moving caressed the side of her face as those obsidian locks drew nearer. "It makes me… happy." Inching closer, Byakuya redistributed his weight on both hands, his sapphire eyes meeting Haru's in a way they never had before. "Doushite?" She peered up at him, her head tilting slightly on the pillow in bewilderment. "How is it that, in a mere three months, you managed to become the most precious thing in my life?" Haru wished she had an answer to offer, but she found none and turned her eyes away from his. "I cannot blame you. I could have pushed you away…"

"Are you saying you rather would have?" Blinking to recover from the blow, Byakuya shook his head and leaned down a little more.

"You must be joking," he answered. "What we have now… I would not trade for anything in the world."

"Not even for Hisana?"

"Iie," Byakuya answered instantly. "Part of me will always miss her, but that part of me is no longer my heart. That belongs to you now, Haru-kun." Curious, she rested her hands over the left side of his chest, trying to read the rhythms therein. A troubled look crossed her face, and she showed him the concern in her expression.

"Will you… be alright? Your heart is beating fast."

"If it is, then it's your fault." Her fingers twitched and began to move, lacing through one another to lock her hands behind his neck. "Haru-kun."

"Hai?"

"Sukidayo."

"I know," she replied, pulling him closer. There were times in the past when Haru felt that moments lingered just so they could better express their feelings for each other, but in that instant, when his lips finally dropped to hers and the restraint on his passion was cut loose, at least for a moment, she felt something entirely different. The moments didn't slow, nor did they stop, nor did they quicken and become one infinite stream of time, nor did both those things seem to happen at once. No longer were they bound to be nothing more than caught up in the moment. For Haru, the passion in his kiss was so intense that it obliterated one line she had never been passed before, and she found herself fully convinced that they were part of the moment rather than trapped within it.

* * *

Wow… you made it! I'm impressed! And I'm sure you all love the fluffiness… that's generally what I get huzzahs for. I'll keep the end note short and just say I'll update when I can, but I'm not closing until I do the over 9,000!!!!!! Japanese lesson! X3

Ano: Japanese equivalent of "um"

Nani: What

Iie: No

Souka: I see

Kuso: Japanese swear word… *squee*

Hai, Haru desu: It's unusual for a Japanese person to answer the phone using their first name, but since Haru doesn't much care for her last, I thought it would be alright to make an exception for her. The literal translation is, "Yes, it's Haru"

Sumimasen: Excuse me; it can also be an apology

Hai: Yes

Matte: Wait

Gomen: Another apology

Baka: Stupid

Arigato: Thanks

Chikusho: More Japanese swear words… *more squee*

Ja ne: Good bye (used for short periods of time, if I understand correctly)

Betsuni: Nothing

Nande: Why

Yare, yare: Well, well (Urahara's catch phrase. XD)

Gomenasai: formal apology

Otousan: Father

Okaasan: Mother (I have Romanized this wrong in the past… maybe one day, when I have time, I'll fix it. That'll be sometime in the year 2016… XD)

Onegai: Please

Sukidayo: Usually translated as "I like you" or "I love you," it is all around a phrase that conveys strong affection.

Nandesuka: What is it?

Demo: But

Kawaii: Cute

Urusai: Shut up

Doushite: How

Congrats on making it to the end! Endurance is the key. I'll have another chapter posted as soon as humanly possible, hopefully before November (because I probably won't be posting in November… NaNoWriMo is important!). Thanks to everyone who hasn't given up yet! I love you all!!!!~~~~


	11. Chapter 11: Apart

A/N: Hello, all! Welcome to another rousing chapter of my fanfic. You guys are awesome for sticking with it. I know how long you wait for chapters, and I'm terribly sorry, but life just got a little less crazy and infinitely more awesome for the following reasons:

1. I conquered NaNoWriMo this year with 61,098 words.

2. I just had my B.A. thesis presentation, which I rocked (note: it was not perfect. Everyone makes mistakes, though… ^_^)

3. I just learned I won a local short story contest. Yay!!! My first win ever!!!

I'm beginning a new tradition of recording my reviewers here. Quite honestly, after a semester like mine, it's a wonder I've been able to update at all. Forgive me if I seem a little impersonal. I still love you guys just as much. I just have epic amounts of work to do, especially since I'm teaching at my college next semester. *excited* A special thanks goes out to the following fanfic readers/writers, who valiantly donated their time to give me a piece of their minds:

kudokuchan69, NAO-chan33, CRdragonPyro, Ray-nee-chan, I'llxBexUrxEnigma2010, yuzuki0429, invisible-gurl, kaito142, secretofserenity, Hikara-Hime, and, last but not least, Kira440. Hugs to you all! *hugs*

Having said that, I give you the shiny chapter of wonder and doom that I probably wrote in June but just now got to posting. Thank you so much for your patient wait. Readers and reviewers, I thank you all for your feedback! People like you keep me going and remind me that maybe, just maybe, this weirdly skill of mine is worth something. Enjoy~

* * *

_Chapter 11: Apart_

It seemed like another normal day in Soul Society to Renji. For the past couple of weeks, his captain had been in one of the best moods ever… though only people who truly knew Byakuya could detect his subtle manners of expressing it. That morning, those subtle traces remained, but they were overshadowed by something new, something different, something heavy. "Ano… taichou…" He didn't even bother glancing up from his paperwork, sensing the fact that the redhead was fishing for some method to procrastinate. "Did something happen between you and Haru?"

"If it did, it would be none of your concern."

"Hai," Renji answered obediently. "So, she's working with Hitsugaya-taichou again this morning?"

"Not exactly." The reply left a lot of room for interpretation.

"She sick again?"

"Thankfully, no."

"Then…" Byakuya's brush scurried to its well as its wielder stood fully. Though he was a bit shorter than Renji, he locked eyes with the bold vice captain, who suddenly lost his courage and peered away. Despite his longing for information, it was becoming more and more clear that he would not get it from Byakuya, at least not yet. "I should… get back to the paperwork."

"I understand you are concerned about Haru-kun because you see her as your comrade. Well, you needn't worry and you needn't see her that way any longer. She left this morning, both Seireitei and the division."

"Oh, okay, if that's all it is…" Renji heard his nonchalant answer, and for a moment, he thought it was completely justified until Byakuya's words ran through his mind again. He was just about to his office when their full meaning became apparent, and he dashed back into his captain's in a hurry. "Nani?" Byakuya peered listlessly at the vice captain, as if the fact did not bother him. "The hell d'you mean she left? Just where the hell'd she go?"

"There is no need to yell."

"How the hell can you be so damn calm about it?"

"Renji…"

"I mean, come on! I really thought there was something going on between you two, and now, you're just going to sit there like it's no big deal your sanseki walked out? Well, I won't stand for it. Tell me where she is, and I'll drag her sorry ass back kicking and screaming if I have to!"

"Your threats are unnecessary, and your yelling and swearing are both annoying."

"But taichou!"

He gave a nonchalant "Hmm" and removed the next form from the stack, scribbling something on it with his brush before continuing to move his eyes over it.

"If she left without saying anything…"

"Iie," he interjected. "Haru-kun disclosed her intentions to me before carrying them out. I saw her off myself this morning. She told me to thank you and to tell you not to worry, that she would be back soon." Renji seemed to relax a little at those words, at least until Byakuya's eyes wandered up to him again. "She also told me to let you know that, should you be any more troubling to me than your normal degree, the first thing she will do when she gets back is 'crack your damn skull open, so help her.'" A grimace crossed his face, along with a puzzled look at Byakuya's expletive. "Those are her words, not mine."

"But… taichou… how can she leave the division? She's only been here three months! Surely, you can't be all right with this!"

"It is out of my hands," Byakuya answered. "To tell the truth, I never saw her occupation here as permanent but as more of a temporary matter, knowing his purpose all along was to make her a captain."

"Captain?" Renji's vociferousness made Byakuya's brow twitch with mild irritation.

"That is what I said."

"But… how?"

"How else? She passed the exam." Recalling that fact, Renji became a little less skeptical. Hadn't they just been discussing that last week? He couldn't remember at the moment, nor could he think. The thought of calling her anything but Haru left a bad taste in his mouth. Furious with himself for not noticing what she was becoming, he turned away from his captain and leered out the window, startling a shinigami that just happened to be passing by. "Do not be resentful."

"How can you say that?"

"It is natural for things to change." Renji, having now attained an unfathomable level of frustration, stormed off before the conversation continued, slamming the office door behind him. Byakuya, expecting it, did not even flinch before he returned to his work. While he labored through the stacks of papers, he mused over his own words, tasting a bit of fear as they echoed in his mind. Perhaps she really would leave him… but reassurance came trailing on the heels of that thought as he recalled their morning farewell.

Around the usual time, just before the sun peered over the horizon, Byakuya cracked one eye open. The sound of his own breathing startled him a bit until he realized just how close Haru was. She was balled up like a cat, her fists clutching his yukata, tugging it gently while her own steady breaths struck his chest. At the time, her head had rested on his left arm, directly beneath his chin, and at some point during the night, their legs had become slightly tangled. That, at the very least, was an easy remedy, but the rest of him was immobile. The lightest stirring could wake her, and at that moment, Byakuya wanted nothing more than to memorize every feature of her sleeping face. He wouldn't see her for about two weeks, two weeks that for some reason seemed to be an infinite eternity stretching vastly out before him.

With one finger, he caressed Haru's cheek, brushing the hair away from her face, but his hand stopped when he realized one silvery eye was peering at him. "Haru-kun…" he breathed, startled. She stretched her arms over her head and then returned them to their original position, giving him that same smile she always did, though today, the placidity was tainted with a bit of difficult sadness.

"Ohayogozaimasu," she murmured into his chest and nuzzling it. Haru came fully to a moment later and attempted to leap back, sputtering several indistinguishable apologies that never quite took shape. For one thing, Byakuya's fingers had already started working along her spine, and for another, his lips were so close to hers that she could feel his breath upon them. Byakuya could feel himself losing the struggle very quickly, especially since the face she made was so irresistible, but that one remaining ounce of restraint somehow miraculously overcame his desire. His arms wound around her, and there they lay, just as they had when they had both been sleeping. "Bya… Byakuya-sama?"

"A little longer," he murmured into her hair. "Please lay beside me… just a little longer."

The next thing he knew, they were saying farewell, Haru with some sort of instrument in a case. Unfortunately, the farewell was anything but private. Takumi and Hinamori had both shown up at the gate early, and Hitsugaya had at some point decided to see them off. He felt like beating his head against something, for with the way Haru was holding her luggage, he couldn't so much as touch her hand. He could only march beside her, a fellow shinigami and a gracious host. "Oi, taichou! Hurry it up already!"

"Baka! I told you not to call me that in public!" Haru shouted, and she would have taken a swing at him had her hands not been full. Sighing exasperatedly, she tossed her head back to gaze at the sun for a moment, then glanced momentarily at her company. Her gaze at last fell on Takumi. "Somehow, I have a feeling I am going to regret asking you to join me."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he said, smirking matter-of-factly.

"As if you did not already know. You still haven't got a lick of respect for your superiors, plus you're just as loud and obnoxious as Renji… if not more so."

"Oh, come on," he answered, slinging an amiable arm around her shoulders. "I'm the life of the party. You've got to take me."

"I have already notified you of my true purpose in going to the human world. This is a duty, not a vacation," she reminded him.

"Then why's she going if it's duty?" Takumi motioned to Hinamori, who was, at the moment, locked in dialogue with Hitsugaya. For a moment, she peered to Takumi, then to Haru, smiling subtly before returning to her conversation.

"It will do her some good to see that world before the war begins." The seriousness that hung in the air was enough to startle Hitsugaya and Hinamori into silence. Even Byakuya looked noticeably more serious than he typically did.

"Ano… taichou?" she asked timidly. Haru inwardly cringed at the title, but she didn't bother correcting Hinamori as she had her more disrespectful coworker. "Is something the matter? You look serious." Haru breathed a reluctant sigh and allowed her eyes to drift away. Suddenly, leaving didn't seem like such a brilliant idea, despite the fact that she knew it was her obligation.

"Haru-kun." She had almost forgotten Byakuya was there, having followed her to the point of departure. As she turned back to him, her shoulders became noticeably straighter. Again, that urge arose in him, the one that hadn't been fulfilled by just her smile. He swallowed it with difficulty, giving her a look full of subtle worry that she easily spotted, though everyone else seemed oblivious to it. "You will return safely." Smiling, Haru bowed her head obediently, thinking something that he couldn't quite interpret. She remained that way for a long time before finally raising her eyes, peering at him with that same enigmatic placidity.

"Arigato, Byakuya-sama. When I think about how much you have done for me, I cannot fathom how I will ever repay the debt."

"Return safely," he repeated, turning away in his usual regal manner to affectively end the increasingly difficult farewell.

"He seems cheery."

"Toushiro-san…"

"I don't think he likes that you're leaving," whispered the white-haired captain.

"I can't see why."

"Think about it. Other than a few brief moments, you have always been in his line of sight, but now you're drifting out of it. I really think it bothers him."

"But he knows I'm leaving his division when I come back, and he swore up and down that it didn't bother him!"

"That's not the kind of departure I was referring to." Hitsugaya glanced to Hinamori and Takumi, who were surprisingly quiet at the moment. "They're waiting for you…"

"Can you hold these for a moment? I forgot something." Before he could object, she had shoved both case and bag into his hands and bolted after the departing captain, unaware of the conversation that had taken place or of the fact that the object of his desires was following him. Byakuya had no idea until he imagined the footsteps and turned back expecting nothing, but instead, his whole body jolted as Haru threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. It was just that simple to crush his wall of composure, but before he could process what had happened, she drew away, keeping her arms around his neck and speaking in a tone low enough so only he could hear.

"Just so you know, what I said the other night had nothing to do with the sake." He gave her a blank look that clearly signified he had no idea what she was talking about. Haru seemed to know he was still startled from her open display of affection, which had two jaws against the pavement and one unfortunate girl blushing from ear to ear, but the one closest to him was unfazed entirely. "You haven't said it since then…" She sighed thoughtfully and shifted her eyes to the pavement for a moment, but it wasn't long until they were back on his. "When I return, I want to hear you say it again."

"Say what exactly?"

"Those words you spoke on Soukyoku hill." Byakuya could only swallow and attempt to make his mind move again. "It will only give me one more reason to come back. When I do, I will not be a six anymore. That sort of change is inevitable, but until you show me the door, I will not leave you. When I come back, I will be coming back to your home even if I am not returning to your division. Yes… change is inevitable…" Her voice trailed off as she leaned against his chest, and the arms at his sides began to move. "Change is inevitable, but right now, I don't think anything can change my feelings for you." Haru escaped just before she was captured, her violet eyes glinting silver behind her glasses. Her smile said she knew she had left him things to think about. Having completed that task, she scurried off to retrieve her belongings from a completely stunned Hitsugaya. "We're going," she said to her comrades as she passed, and after Hinamori tugged on Takumi's sleeve, they disappeared through the gate with three hell butterflies trailing after them. The gate shut behind them, sealing off the pearly light and vanishing a moment later. He could only be grateful for one thing: that his coworker refrained from asking any questions regarding the incident.

He could still feel her, even though she wasn't there. To see her so timid in one instant and then so bold in the next… it was almost unfathomable. Byakuya raised a hand to his mouth, touching it thoughtfully, then smiling behind his hand, not just at the memory but at the thought sliding through his own mind, that trifle thing he had forgotten. Perhaps he would see her before two weeks passed after all.

* * *

Haru was walking in front, with her two subordinates hanging back a bit. The seriousness in her steps was greatly discomforting, and they were still trying to figure out what exactly had possessed her to act as she had before creeping through the senkai gate. "I think she's stressed out, and more than she's letting on."

"Well, considering what she has to do," Hinamori replied in a whisper, "I can't really blame her. That's without counting how strongly she feels about Kuchiki-taichou."

"Thanks a lot, captain obvious," Takumi retorted, folding his arms and avoiding Hinamori's eyes as they glared at him. "That's not the way I mean, though. She seems… stressed about something else. Maybe about her promotion, or her impending promotion… whichever it is. Maybe it's about Byakuya, but I've got a notion that it's something else entirely. She seems to sense something, perhaps an encounter she isn't looking forward to."

"I can't imagine what encounter that would be. You said she was on speaking terms with everyone in Karakura Town she left behind. Kurosaki-san, Rukia-san, even the quincy…" She cut herself off, realizing that Haru was peering critically back at them. It was difficult to swallow the remainder of her catalogue and allow silence to reestablish itself, but Hinamori felt that, out of respect alone, she should hold her tongue. Apparently, Takumi felt differently.

"I'm afraid it's something beyond us," he sighed. "As much as I wish she wouldn't hold out, I'm just as afraid to ask her what it is." Troubled, Hinamori glanced away for a moment, then peered to the girl walking before them. She noted the rigidity in those shoulders, the determination in those steps, the glimmerings of comprehension in the one violet eye that peered over her shoulder, one that escaped recognition by Takumi. Hinamori thought she felt that eye search out her own gaze, find it, and hold it for a momentary eternity, but then, Haru's head shifted with that same determination, causing the silver ribbon in her hair to flutter ever so subtly. Stillness again…

Silence made walking more difficult than was usual. Perhaps that was why Hinamori found herself wishing she was already there.

* * *

It was a custom for Ishida to eat lunch on the roof. Oftentimes, he happily did so alone, but today, for some reason, Ichigo and the others convinced him to do otherwise. He followed them as they paced through the halls of the school, heading for an exit so they could consume their meal together. "Honestly, I don't see why you've been isolating yourself so much lately." He could have explained the situation, that the Yamashita clan was in turmoil, that their eighteenth head was sick and dying in a hospital in Tokyo, that Haru had asked him to stall without giving him a definite affirmative, and that if she didn't show up, then he would likely lose his own honor… if he was lucky to lose just that. But Ishida refrained from doing so for one very specific reason: if there was one thing the Yamashita clan hated more than a broken promise, it was the disclosure of top secret information. It wasn't as if he was the only one driving off the hungry hand; while he stalled them, they were taking every precaution to keep the family's instability under wraps. If the media found out… he couldn't even imagine the horror. Besides, he still needed to give Ichigo his comeback.

"You're one to talk, Kurosaki," Ishida retorted, "disappearing like that. You still haven't told us where you went."

"I don't have to tell you anything," he responded. Rukia kicked him in the shin, making him yelp in surprise. "What the hell was that for?"

"Don't make it out to be nothing but a mere trifle! We were seriously worried about you!" Neither Chad nor Orihime commented, but it was clear from their eyes that they backed Rukia's comment one-hundred and ten percent. Ichigo half grumbled something, not realizing the quincy had stopped walking, and bumped straight into him. "Oi! You going to keep walking or what? We don't have all day, you know!" But Ishida didn't seem to be paying attention. In fact, he seemed a hundred miles away with a look of disbelief painting every aspect of his expression. "Hey," Ichigo said, this time more seriously. "You still with us, Ishida?"

"It can't be," he said. "It just… can't be."

"Ishida-kun, is everything all right?" Orihime inquired, but he never stayed to answer. He asked them to stay there, reassuring them that he would come back, and began running in the other direction. It was very seldom they saw him move as quickly as he had. "He must be hungry," she said to Chad. "I wonder if Ishida-kun eats breakfast."

"Do you really think that's it?" Rukia returned.

"Well, I don't know… what else could it be?"

"Maybe it's a hollow," Chad supplied.

"That's unlikely. Rukia's phone would've done something if it was," Ichigo noted. "Still, if he said not to follow him, I think it's safe to assume it's something important. Let's just leave him be for now." They came to an agreement that that was best, though none of them could shake the feeling that something important was about to happen. They weren't there to hear the echo of Ishida's steps as he climbed upwards for the answer he sought. When he finally got to the roof, he had to take a moment to recover his breath. By then, the very thing he thought he had sensed was gone, completely vanished.

_I can't have been mistaken, _he said to himself. _There's no way… _Perhaps it was the obstinacy of his pride that led him to believe that, or perhaps he missed her so much that he had fallen victim to his own delusions. Whatever the case, the roof was undeniably deserted to his utter disappointment. He sighed heavily and shook his head, then moved to turn towards the door only to find that he had been followed. "What gives, Kurosaki?" he demanded.

"I just wanted to see the ground from here is all," replied the orange-haired teen, meandering purposefully towards the edge and peering towards the world below.

"In your occupation, you see plenty of the ground. What makes you need to see it from here?"

"I don't know… it was something, though. I can't explain it, but all of a sudden, I felt like flying."

"You're crazy," Ishida retorted.

"Not as crazy as you." He had to admit Ichigo had a point. The force driving him up there, that imagined presence that could not possibly be there, had also driven him to a number of other undesirable things. Voluntary withdraw from his comrades, for instance, was suffered on account of the perpetual negotiations he undertook in Haru's stead. He managed to shirk them most of the time by insisting that the decision would be best made by Haru herself, that they only needed to wait a little longer to ask her themselves, that if they could just be patient… but patience seemed to be one of humankind's greatest weaknesses, and an area which Ishida felt they could be very much improved in. "What the hell's the matter, anyway? Usually, by now, you've made some kind of response involving your pride as a quincy. You feeling sick or something?"

"Of course not. Would I be here if I did?" Ichigo expressed his doubt silently, but he continued leaning against the railing that separated him from the fall. "You're one to talk. I don't buy that you were sick for almost two straight weeks."

"Why not?"

"Because your family had no idea where you were."

"I was highly contagious, so I thought it'd be better just to take care of myself."

"And where did you go?"

"Just somewhere alone," he quickly supplemented. "And anyway, it doesn't matter where I went. I told you, and I told everyone else, I'm perfectly fine."

"You're lying," Ishida accused after a moment of thought.

"And you are, too, so what's the difference?" Things would be too troublesome to explain to Ichigo at that point in time; that much was clear. Unfortunately, his curiosity regarding Ichigo's whereabouts during his absence was getting to be overly troublesome. He could only decline to answer by shutting his eyes and pacing away, ignoring the shinigami that trailed behind as his thoughts were only fixed on one thing.

_Strange, _he thought. _I could have sworn… but no, it would be nothing more than my imagination. _He contented himself with that line of thinking. It could be nothing more than that.

* * *

"Yare, yare… what a surprise! To think that you would turn up cold and hungry on my doorstep… it breaks my heart to see that Byakuya finally threw you out. I was beginning to get worried… you know, the day that man has a heart is the day the core of the Earth implodes and our planet careens off its axis, straight into the fiery bowls of the sun…" Haru looked at him blankly. Behind her, she heard Takumi stifling a laugh. Hinamori was just dumbfounded.

"I'm not cold, I'm not hungry, and I haven't been evicted."

"Then the apocalypse is truly here! Repent while ye can, helpless sinners…" He paused when he saw the look on Haru's face, peering critically at her from under the brim of his hat. Seated at the table as he was (she had come right in the middle of some well-neglected research), he pushed it up with his cane in order to get a better look of the entire company. "That look…" Haru caught his meaning and sighed, dropping her gaze while she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Then you really are here to… do as Ishida said." The two shinigami sitting behind her exchanged glances, displaying their cluelessness clearly to the owner of the shop. "Why aren't you going to Tokyo yet?"

"I wanted to see this place again before I left. I thought it would do me some good."

"And your accomplices?"

"A co-worker and an acquaintance of mine. I thought it would do them some good to see the world before winter falls."

"Because winter is not the only thing that will fall, right?" Haru grew more somber at Urahara's words. Bowing her head, she wrung her hands in her lap, turning her left wrist over to view the cross.

"We need… a place to stay for a few days."

"Please, Haru-sama… you don't have to ask. My doors are always open to you."

"Arigato-gozamiasu, Urahara-sensei. Your hospitality is, as always, impeccable." Haru bowed a little lower and raised her head, fixing her eyes on one of the pictures. Five smiling faces looked up at her, three children and two adults. The man looked familiar… where had she seen him before? "Pardon my asking, but… did I interrupt?"

"Not really. In fact, I was expecting you."

"Then that bit about it being a surprise…"

"Gomen," he said, flipping his fan open. "But you know I prepare for everything, including three unexpected guests."

"Talking in circles…" Haru laughed weakly, pushing her glasses up again. "Has anything changed?" Urahara said nothing, but he laid his fan down on the table. It blocked her view of the picture she had been looking at. "Jinta-kun and Ururu-chan… they still argue like always. Tessai-san is obedient like always. The sun rises and sets like always… the world really doesn't feel death, does it?" She smiled faintly, letting out a sigh and peering at her mentor with cloudy eyes. "I guess this world really doesn't feel death, does it?" Takumi opened his mouth to speak, but Hinamori seized his wrist, drawing an outraged stream of words to the floodgate. She gently shook her head, effectively deterring him from making an idiot out of himself.

"Ishida misses your presence here, and you left such an impression on Kurosaki-san that he has been a model substitute ever since he returned from his little… vacation." He raised his fan again, peering at Takumi and Hinamori, watching them exchange glances again. "I'm afraid you've lied to me, Haru-sama."

"Nani?"

"These two are your subordinates. You probably told them to let you do all the talking before you came in." Haru glanced up a bit, maintaining her innocence with her eyes. "Am I wrong?" Instead of answering, Haru got to her feet and turned towards the door.

"You said you were prepared," Haru noted, "which means you must have a gigai for me around here somewhere."

"Of course. I customized it to remain stable in spite of the wild fluctuations in your reiatsu and even included a simplified device to eject your soul."

"Splendid. Then would you please allow me to take a walk alone? I need to clear my head."

"But tai—" Haru cast him a silent threat, and Takumi's words failed. It was too late, though. She saw the wry smile on her sensei's face, and inside her veins, her blood turned to volatile plasma.

"Yare, yare… I've never known anyone to rise so quickly through the ranks before, Yamashita-taichou." Her fist clenched, and Takumi begged an apology with his eyes. "Your haori should be finished by now. Ishida has been working almost nonstop on it."

"And how, pray tell, did he get the news?"

"Let's just say a little birdie told me."

"A really _old _little birdie?"

"You've caught me," Urahara responded, thrilled so much that he closed his fan and grinned directly at her. "Yamamoto-soutaichou said that, rather than making things so suspicious, it should just be manufactured here with cloth he sent. And since Ishida already knew your measurements…"

"How in the _hell _did he get those?" Takumi demanded. Haru turned furiously away.

"I will return by dinner. Please occupy yourselves in whatever way you see fit. Oh, and one more thing…" She turned to her mentor with a look like death in her eyes. "If you ever call me Yamashita-taichou again, I will proceed thereupon to crack your damn skull open." Hinamori whimpered when Haru slammed the door behind her.

"Yare, yare, she certainly is frightful." He flipped his fan open again, peering at the remorseful Takumi and the solemn Hinamori. "Relax. Nothing you did made her upset."

"But… Urahara-san," she interjected, "we just… we just want to know what it is that's making her so serious."

"Yare, yare," he retorted, leaning back, shutting his fan, and cutting through the air with it. "To think she dragged you here without telling you anything other than the fact that your ultimate destination is Tokyo."

"Yeah, about that…" Takumi put in, "I can't see why she'd want to come here first. It's not like it's anything special other than the fact that her brother's here."

"She hasn't explained anything very well, has she?" Urahara sighed, adjusting the brim of his hat with his fan. "I'm not at liberty to explain anything, but to let you two remain clueless as you're dragged along… well, that would be the greater evil, wouldn't it?" The way he laughed made Takumi and Hinamori glance at each other; clearly, they both thought he was a lunatic. "Nevertheless, I'll give her one more day. If she hasn't told you by then, then I'll tell you everything."

"Thanks for the trouble," Takumi said, smirking slightly. "Now, about that legendary basement I heard about…"

"Ah, so Haru-sama _has _told you something!" Urahara responded. "Jinta will lead you there once he and Ururu have showed you your rooms. I would do it myself, but I have been a busy bee lately." They were dismissed without further explanation. Secretly, Takumi and Hinamori were both convinced not only of the man's madness but also of his brilliance. He was hiding something from Haru, they thought, and whatever labors he was engaged in, he didn't want her finding out about them until the opportune moment. The conception of secrecy kept them both silent as they walked down the hall, led by a loudmouthed redhead and a timid, pig-tailed girl, to see what would be their dwelling for the next few days.

* * *

It was nice to walk the streets again, nice to see so many unfamiliar faces, nice to be out of the office. The wind was brisk and the sky was clear; in that respect, it was not much different than Soul Society, but autumn had gotten further in the human world. Every gust freed just a few more leaves. Winter was just around the corner, and then… then, she didn't want to think about. Now was more important. Now, she was walking with purpose, her hands folded in front of her, her hair hanging down her back, restrained but not confined. On her right wrist was a bracelet of sorts, and on the left hung her ever faithful quincy cross, broken but still a necessity. The folds of her black skirt rustled as she walked, and the sound of those boots hitting the pavement… it was so much different than her sandals that Haru wondered whether those steps were truly hers.

When the wind blew, she pulled the denim jacket tighter around her, almost concealing the crimson turtleneck beneath. No doubt, the embroidery on the jacket was Ishida's doing. No one else would waste time sewing a pale blue cross and a small pair of white wings on such a trivial accessory. Into her material form, Haru had also brought her sash, which swayed in time with her steps and with the wind's curious hands. She paused for a moment, adjusting her glasses slightly, peering briefly at the sun, and then continuing on towards her destination. It wouldn't be too terribly hard to find him, and sure enough, he was around the next corner, casually leaning against a building as if he was expecting her. They peered at each other for a moment, Haru with her shoulders squared and her hands folded, her acquaintance with his hands in his pockets and a blank look on his face.

"Haru." She nodded to acknowledge his address. "Good to see ya, though I'm a little disappointed. I was hoping ya'd come in uniform." She made no response to his complaint but to look away wistfully.

"Shinji-san," Haru murmured at length. A moment of hesitance passed, then she cast a fully audacious gaze on the vizard. "The truth of my own death, I understand quite well. I was careless for a moment, and so I was taken advantage of. However, I would like to know… how it is that the Hanazaki family met its end."

"Nani? Ya been here three minutes, and yer already interrogatin' me?"

"It isn't that I'm displeased with your company. I just know you're the only one that will give me answers. Sensei… oftentimes dodges the subject, and he does a rather sloppy job of it. Ishi-nii is no better. When I asked him about the soul burial… but then again, how can I believe that my own brother is not man enough to give me the truth?" This matter greatly troubled her more than the possibility of the deceased Hanazakis being in a state of displaced wandering. He examined her expression carefully before pushing away from the wall and pacing forward until he stood right beside her, facing the opposite direction. When his hand fell on her shoulder, Haru couldn't help but flinch.

"Yer right to be suspect. Not many people tell the truth anymore, only a distorted form of it." Haru glanced at him, gave a look of understanding that sent the vizard's hand retreating, and remained rooted to the spot as if her doubts had bound her to the spot. "Come on. Let's get a cup of tea. Besides, I've got some questions for ya." Obediently, she turned heel, walking beside the vizard until they came to a little western-style café. With their orders in, they had nothing to do but get reacquainted with their appearances. "You look happier than when I last saw you."

"How long has it even been?"

"Probably nine months. Maybe more."

"Souka," she said softly, peering up at him. "You seem happy yourself. Did something happen?"

"Nothin' but yer situation in Soul Society." Somehow, Haru knew she wasn't talking about her possible upcoming promotion. The details were still hazy, but the plan was clear enough. She wouldn't be in the sixth division when she returned from her tour of duty. "So tell me, what's it like sleepin' with a stoic?" It took Haru a moment to process his meaning, and when she finally did, she nearly leapt to her feet and reached for a sword that wasn't there.

"What the hell do you mean by that? We're not… we're not sleeping together in that sense of the word!" She added the second part in a hiss so low, Shinji had to strain his ears to hear it. He scoffed in disbelief, propping one heel against his knee, leaning back nonchalantly in his chair. It made him smile to see the girl so furious. "Besides, what goes on between Byakuya-sama and I is none of your concern."

"Now see, that's where yer wrong."

"And how, pray tell, am I wrong?" The arrival of the tea interrupted their conversation. Shinji immediately took a sip to avoid a position where he would be forced to give a response. It was a fragrant orange blossom tea, the flavor that Haru noted he seemed to favor over others. As for her, she tried something wintery, a cranberry herbal whose tartness rivaled that of sakura tea. She would have chosen her favorite had it been in stock.

"Simple enough. I'm not ready to give you away yet."

"And who's giving me away? When last I looked, you weren't my father."

"That's a bit cold," he noted, compulsively reaching for the sugar and adding an excessive amount. Something in his expression was serious, which was so unlike him that Haru actually hesitated to drink her tea. "Ne, Haru…"

"Hai?" she asked.

"Things're only gonna get worse. Ya sure ya wanna get mixed up in them?" Haru sipped her tea thoughtfully before setting it down.

"If I were to hesitate, then what good would it do? I think the world can stand to gain much more than I stand to lose in entering the battle."

"Haru, yer young, yer innocent… ya haven't quite gotten ta learn the ins and outs a combat. Sure, ya've fought yer fair share of hollows, but this ain't nothing like that. This is real war. Ya've read about it in books, sure, but ya don't realize what it's like until ya've actually participated. It ain't some clean-cut operation… it's an atrocity. Ya'll probably be asked ta do things ya think're barbaric, and ya'll know there's a better way, but ya won't be able to do nothing but obey." Haru didn't seem to be interested in what he had to say. Her eyes flashed with rare impatience, demanding that he get to the point. "War's gonna change ya whether ya're a soldier or a civilian, but ya stand more of a chance of maintainin' yerself if ya just stay out of it."

"That is a luxury I can no longer afford, Shinji-san," she answered, sipping her tea. "I am of a noble family of quincy and must not fail to represent them, but at the same time, I am a shinigami. I cannot in good conscience desert my comrades." Somehow, Shinji knew she was right, so he dropped the subject, keeping his eyes locked on her until she glanced up at him. "Do you think I haven't considered these things? I know full well what it means. I will become the very thing Hinamori-san does not see in me. I will become conniving, scheming, deceitful."

"Yer on yer way," he noted, leaning back in his chair more. "Ya know, yer already pretty good at keepin' secrets as long as it's not Byakuya. Well…" Shinji trailed off, heaving a sigh as a bird passed overhead. "What would ya say if I told ya that there were secrets being kept from ya?" Haru set her glass down, her eyes flashing indignantly. For some reason, she didn't like the tone he provided the information with: the cool, casual, almost indifferent nature of it. Perhaps it was a minor error, but then she recalled her sensei's mannerisms, his laying the fan down on the table, which was something he never did, and the object it blocked, a half-concealed photograph of someone, something… what was it? She remembered one of the faces; it was burned into her mind, and for some reason, the phantom would not leave her alone.

Shinji said nothing more, simply laid some money on the table and walked away with his hands in his pockets. Haru knew not to follow him. "Oh, one more thing," Shinji noted, half turning back to her. "Hiyori wants to know when yer comin' by so she can hand yer ass to ya and what not." The language made her arch a brow, which caused the vizard to smile. "She really does miss ya, even if she says yer annoying."

"That's very thoughtful. Let her know I shall come before I go to Tokyo. Oh, and please add that I'll be cracking skulls before she can even think about beating me."

"Will do." He raised a hand in farewell. "Take care of yerself."

"Hai, Shinji-san. Thanks for the tea." Once he had disappeared and become part of an indistinguishable distance, she smiled and drank the remainder of the cup's contents, reflecting briefly on the picture and at length returning to when she should reveal she had returned, at least for a little while. She leaned her cheek against her hand, sighing as one other memory slipped through her mind, one of the hopeless noble she'd left behind. _I will probably not sleep tonight, _she thought, a touch of woe darkening her smile, _but I suppose… I shouldn't be sleeping much anyway, considering my current position. _Haru finally admitted it to herself, that she was entangled in so many chains of power, she didn't know how to break free, or even where to begin. _I have become the very thing I sought to avoid: an authority figure, a key player in the upcoming war. I am not a pawn. I am a knight. Though I can only move in an L shape, so much can be done with me if strategy is implemented. _That thought comforted her slightly, until a feeling of dreariness claimed her again.

By then, Haru had finished her tea and was allowed to bask in its magical afterglow until a shadow drifted through her line of sight. Slowly, she peered up to the smiling face. "I found you."

"Hinamori-san…" She laughed slightly but became serious when Haru rose. "You were not supposed to follow me."

"Sumimasen," she answered, bowing so her eyes were out of view. "I was bored. Jinta-kun and Ururu-chan are both performing their chores, Urahara-san is busy working, and Takumi-san just went to the basement without saying the reason." Hinamori was still smiling when she stood erect, peering curiously at her captain, who was also smiling. "Ano, taichou… may I ask why you came here? And who was that man you were talking to?"

"An acquaintance of mine. That is all you need to know, as he prefers I do not refer to him by name."

"Souka," she said. "He must be even more secretive than you."

"Hai, that's Shinji-san for you." Hinamori laughed behind her hand at the sour look on Haru's face.

"So, his name is Shinji? What's he like?"

"A pain and a half in the ass, for lack of a better term, but he is reliable when I need him to be." Haru rose, discretely laying a little more money aside Shinji's, and touched Hinamori's arm to signal she should follow. They walked side by side, Haru with her hands folded in front, Hinamori with her arms swinging gently at her sides. "Where did you say Takumi is again?" she asked suddenly.

"Urahara-san showed him down to the basement. Heaven only knows what he's doing down there." From the smile that lit Haru's face, it was easy to tell she knew the answer, but it was an answer she was unwilling to give. The way she was walking led Hinamori to imagine a nostalgia in Haru's steps. She nearly asked the confident girl what reason there was for this hint of sorrow or that empty echo of her boots striking the pavement, but she couldn't gather the courage to. She had no reason to ask, though, because Haru perceived her curiosity and stopped walking so abruptly that Hinamori started at suddenly being ahead of her captain. Haru inhaled the scent of the air deeply, releasing her breath a moment later as soon as the distinct scent had been absorbed into her memory.

"This place is my Rukongai," she said at last. "This is where I did my growing in life. This is where I hoped to continue growing. I was fated to leave it and go to Tokyo, hopefully in pursuit of education rather than at the will of my conniving relatives, but I suppose Aizen meddled with that fate until it was indistinguishable from his will." Startled at her words, Hinamori's eyes snapped to Haru, who appeared to be lost in some twisted trip down memory lane. "Though the sun here is the sun there, I still feel this sun is brighter." Her left hand extended habitually, wrapping around the air and pulling it forward. She spotted the uncertainty on her companion's face and smiled to drive it away. "If what I have said has worried you, then let me tell you that worry is wasted. It is not that I dislike Soul Society. It is simply that I haven't seen this place in so long, and to see that it has gone on without me is both discontenting and relieving."

They stopped at the crosswalk because it was flashing. Something doleful crept over Haru as she watched the cars go by, something that suggested she had walked that street before. It gave her a countenance so doleful that Hinamori half wished she hadn't come looking for Haru. She looked as if she was recalling a horrible experience, reopening old wounds… staying there was doing her no good, Hinamori concluded, and once the light turned green, she practically dragged her captain forward. It took some effort, but she finally got Haru across, mainly because the obstinate shinigami dug her heels in, declining any and all desires to move forward. Hinamori only released her arm once they were across and whirled fiercely to her captain, her eyes flickering with immense irritation that Haru couldn't see with her head bowed. "Taichou…"

"Give me a moment." She pushed her glasses onto her forehead and commenced wiping her eyes.

"May I ask what happened here?" Haru nodded softly, casting her pale eyes at Hinamori. The lashes that lined them were damp, and from the looks of things, more rain was expected to fall.

"This place is where it all ended, and where it all began." From the bewildered look on her face, it was easy to see that Hinamori did not quite catch Haru's meaning. It made her smile for some reason to see the vice captain so befuddled. "To be honest, I am still trying to gather how and why it happened, whether it was fate's hand, or some mishap brought on by chance, or perhaps even the doing of Aizen himself. Whatever the reason, I heard a beckon that day that I hadn't heard in years, like someone calling out to me from the past. The next thing I knew, I was standing over my own corpse." Haru tilted her head upwards, gazing at the clouds as they languidly rolled through the sky. "Did you know I broke twenty-six bones when I hit the pavement? But by then, my soul was already separated from my body."

"Taichou…"

"I would let it go… I honestly would. The separation still stings sometimes despite the attachments I have formed with Seireitei, but the cause… I want to know even if it changes everything." Her eyes ascended to the sun's orb, lingering above them but closer west than it had been. "Perhaps then, I will truly be able to let the matter go, but if Aizen had anything to do with it…" Haru clenched her fist and spoke no more regarding the matter, but Hinamori could easily discern her message. "This matter is too serious to be bringing you into. I apologize."

"No, really… there isn't any need to…" But the doleful look on Haru's face prevented Hinamori from objecting further. She dropped her head for a moment and removed her glasses, drying her face with the back of her hand. Then, she began to polish the lenses, keeping her eyes fixed on them until she felt Hinamori's gaze locked on her. "Taichou…" Haru felt her face redden before she looked away. "Your eyes are… really pretty."

"What of it?"

"Betsuni," Hinamori murmured. "I just… never noticed before is all. I think it's the glasses."

"The glasses?"

"Hai," she replied, startled to see the smile on her face as she adjusted them on the bridge of her nose.

"Byakuya-sama would agree with you. He has this habit of stealing them. It is odd, though."

"His habits?"

"Iie," Haru answered with a gentle shake of her head. "It is the fact that I let him get away with so much."

"Well, that's because you feel so strongly for him." Haru's face flushed at the words, and her violet eyes darted away, but only for a moment. She glanced up at Hinamori with her face red and with a smile that stretched from ear to ear.

"Hai." They shared a happy moment before Haru pushed away from the wall. "Hinamori-san, I would like you to come with me. There is some place I need to go, and I think you will find the trip a very interesting one." Hinamori bowed to signify her obedience, and Haru began walking in the direction of her destination.

"Am I permitted to ask where we are going?"

"You do not need permission to ask, but I will tell you…" Despite the smile on her face, that same doleful note sounded in her tone. "The place holds… so many memories for me."

* * *

He felt it again, that distinct vibration that belonged only to one person. It was all Ishida could do to contain himself until the final bell released them from their misery. Orihime ultimately suggested they all go up to the roof together for a little while before walking home, and once Rukia agreed, they were bound to it. The climb was far too slow for him. Ichigo and the others immediately picked up on his impatience. "Something bugging you?"

"Iie, betsuni," he responded habitually. There was no way it could be her; that was simply impossible. His imagination was to blame for the whole thing. He was just climbing towards another disappointment. The mere thought made him gloomy despite the cheery atmosphere.

"Ishida-kun, I think I speak for everyone when I say we're a little concerned about you." He processed the comment two seconds slower than he normally did.

"Really, really… I'm fine…"

"Nonsense. You keep getting this dreary, dreamy look on your face like you just got hit with a leek, and I think you owe us the truth." Collectively, they could not even begin to fathom the meaning behind Orihime's strange analogy. Nonetheless, they continued climbing as Ishida fervently denied any ill feelings or depression whatsoever. Just his imagination… that was all it is. He would go up to the roof like he did everyday, and it would be deserted. He was so focused on convincing himself of that that he hardly realized they had finished their climb. A pair of eyes turned towards Ichigo as he stepped into the sun. He stopped without cautioning anyone else, which brought about a moment bumping and jostling until they spotted the reason he had so suddenly ceased.

"Nani? Someone's here?"

"Hinamori…" Rukia murmured in disbelief. She smiled and waved a greeting. "Demo… who…"

"Taichou, someone's here."

"Hai," responded the other figure, whirling around. This one broke Ishida's attention entirely and caused his eyes to widen. The cross on the back of her coat was visible for a moment as she turned, pushing the glasses up her nose slightly. Her hair swayed with the wind and with the suddenness of her movement, and her violet eyes flashed with the thrill of a fading memory. "It has been too long, Ichigo. I do hope my acquaintances did not inconvenience you terribly."

"Yeah," he retorted, scratching the back of his head. "They're a handful. I still can't believe you of all people associate with such characters."

"Is it my fault that sensei deals with them on a frequent basis? Shinji-san didn't tell you any embarrassing stories about me, did he?"

"Not that I can recollect." It was plain to Haru that he was lying, but she would press him for answers later. She didn't care as long as they remained confidential. The sun burned her cares up, and the wind blew them far away. She could have stared at it all day.

"What… what are you doing here?" Ishida stammered. "You're supposed to be in Soul Society doing paperwork with Byakuya-san! How can you be standing here if you're doing paperwork?"

"Nani? Are you unhappy that I came for a visit?"

"Iie… it's just…"

"Besides, I am no longer in the sixth division. I got… transferred." Haru cleared her throat of awkwardness and continued. "So, before I take up my new post, I thought I would tie up my loose ends here."

"You… can't honestly… you can't honestly mean you intend to…"

"I have every intention of it," Haru responded seriously. "On Friday, I board the three o'clock train for Tokyo. If possible, I would like you to accompany me, Ishi-nii." Nothing but dead silence filled the space between them. Feeling its weight, Haru decisively turned to the town behind her. "As with all the other favors I ask of you, this one is optional. It will likely be your final duty to me." Alarmed, he walked forward with determination, his arms at his sides. Detecting the threat in his eyes, Hinamori put herself between the infuriated quincy and her nominal captain. "You cannot change my mind."

"Move," he said to Hinamori. "This is between me and her." She shook her head obstinately. "Move," he repeated, this time with more authority. Troubled, she looked to Haru, who nodded her head, which caused her to hesitantly move aside. "Haru-sama, think about what you're doing."

"It requires very little thought, as I know full well what I am doing."

"Then you refuse to keep your title? You're just going to hand it over to those power-hungry bastards? Your decision will destroy the clan!" She said nothing, but her eyes grew notably sharper as she prepared to deliver a response.

"Then we shall be even, for they destroyed me." The icy tone in which she delivered her words effectively silenced the argumentative Ishida. When coupled with the disappointed smile on her face, it was next to unbearable. "I suppose I deserve no less than the third degree. You are the one stalling them for the moment. I apologize for any trouble they caused you, if it is any consolation."

"It isn't just that," he said in an undertone through his teeth. "I will be put out of your service. I will no longer have an obligation to you."

"You should not have had any obligations to begin with, Ishi-nii. You can refuse my orders at any time you see fit."

"I don't want to."

"Then don't."

"That's not good enough." He spoke in a tone that insisted rather than addressed. Puzzled, Haru tilted her head in a vain attempt to read his eyes. The sunlight reflected off of his glasses and concealed them from view. "I don't want to be cast out of my duty." In the silence that followed, the air took on an unbearable weight of seriousness. Hinamori, having been caught staring curiously at Ishida, threw her gaze to the concrete beneath her feet. No one else dared speak, and they hardly dared to breathe for fear of disturbing whatever power imbalance still remained between the two siblings. Finally, Haru folded her hands and bowed her head with certainty.

"Then don't cast yourself out of it."

"If they order me to, then I…"

"You will do as you please," Haru interrupted sharply. "They are a powerful family, but none of them are quincies to my knowledge. That part of them died with my father." She clenched her fist at the mention of his passing, then decisively walked past the baffled Ishida. "Hinamori-san."

"Hai!" she cried, darting after Haru with rapid steps.

"You're still one of them!" he said at last. Her steps faltered, and she peered briefly at the quincy over her shoulder. The look in her eyes absolutely killed him. The anguish, the disappointment, the inexorable desire for freedom… any number of other things may have lingered in Haru's eyes, but those were the only three things Ishida could discern. She gave him a doleful smile, then turned away as if answering was not worth the trouble.

"I don't plan to be here long," she announced. "Nonetheless, I do expect to see you all again before I depart." Chad gave her a nod, Orihime and Rukia bowed, but Ichigo simply rubbed the back of his head. "I am pleased to see you survived, Ichigo." Haru's brows fell together as the brazen young man avoided her gaze. "Nandesuka?"

"Iie… betsuni," he responded.

"Do you take me for a fool?" He didn't answer. "Come on, out with it, or else I'll lose sleep over it, and you don't want that." Her words elicited a more promising response. He cleared his throat and looked her in the eyes at last.

"I heard… things are getting pretty serious between you and Byakuya."

"Eh?" she inquired.

"Shinji kind of let it slip that you two were… you know…"

"Chotto matte! It isn't like that!" she cried, her cheeks burning red as she waved her hands.

"Well, you two are engaged now…"

"Just what the hell did Shinji tell you?" Haru interrupted. "We're not engaged, things aren't getting serious, and for the gods' sakes, I am not sleeping with him!" In her haste, she forgot to check her words. The fact that she had delivered them with such volume, added to the startled, somewhat awkward expressions of her audience, only served to make her blush grow deeper. With a frustrated huff, she turned away, unveiling for a moment the cross and wings embroidered on her jacket to an especially furious Ishida, who had to clench his fist to keep from overstepping his bounds.

"Taichou…" Hinamori murmured.

"Let's go," she interrupted. Hinamori swiftly bowed her farewell and darted after Haru, shutting the door behind her and turning to find the girl clenching her fist. "That damn Shinji…" she muttered. "If I ever need to get out of this gigai, I'll…" She paused, pressing her glasses thoughtfully up her nose, contemplating whether or not her anger was worth it, or if it would just give the vizard more triumph than he originally had.

"You'll what?" Though it was asked in a timid voice, Haru whirled to face her with a speed that nearly startled her into the corner.

"I'll crack his damn skull open! That's what!" After her declaration faded, she turned and hastily began down the stairs with Hinamori following on her heels, nursing her self-inflected wounds and those that had been inflicted by others.

* * *

Admittedly not as epic as the last chapter. It's hard to top 39 pages of fighting and fluff. ^_^' I'll keep this afterword brief and cut right to the Japanese lesson. I have to go sleep off the past four nights of anxiety (thank you, B.A. thesis presentation). To all of you, thanks again, and I'll be posting another one soon after I'm done with classes!

Ano: Japanese equivalent of "um"

Hai: Yes

Nani: What

Iie: No

Ohayogozaimasu: Good morning (formal)

Baka: Stupid/idiot

Arigato: Thank you (regular)

Yare, yare: Well, well (Urahara's catch phrase!)

Arigato-gozamiasu: Thank you (formal)

Gomen: Sorry

Souka: I see

Sumimasen: Excuse me. Also, a semi-formal apology

Betsuni: Nothing

Demo: But

Nandesuka: What is it?

Chotto matte: Wait a minute


	12. Chapter 12: Family

A/N: Greetings, my waiting fans! I am now officially a graduate! Woo hoo! And I am Summa Cum Laude! Woo hoo again!!! And I bought a DS Lite to celebrate! Oh, sh*t on a stick! I am now obsessed with it. XD Well, that explains the lapse in updating, right? If not for that, this chapter would have been up days ago! Between that and the family insanity… I am so happy Christmas only comes once a year. Speaking of which, what better present can I give my fans and readers than a new chapter? You guys seriously make my job a little easier. Thanks for reading, reviewing, and all that jazz! And a special thanks to my reviewers for the last chapter: Kira440, kudokuchan69, yuzuki0429, Ray-nee-chan, CRdragonPyro, NAO-chan33, and finally, kaito142. You guys rock!

Merry Christmas again! I hope this chapter finds you in good spirits! Please enjoy it!

_Chapter 12: Family_

It was Haru's habit to wake up early, even though there was no hand to provoke her from consciousness. She rolled over and gazed at the ceiling, her eyes analyzing its shadows and the bit of sun seeping in the window. Then, she rolled over again to stare at the empty wall. As soon as she could think, the first thought that crossed her mind was, _Waking up alone is a terrible thing. _Perhaps she had gotten too used to having Byakuya there. Laying there night after night, enduring his touch while matching her breathing to mirror his in rhythm, showing him the weak side of her as his fingers raced over every inch of her back… all of it seemed like a dream now, or rather, her current position seemed like a dream compared to the life she'd left behind. It was a dream she wanted to wake up from.

At last, Haru sat up and rubbed her eyes, glancing to the futon on the other side of the room. Hinamori was still asleep. For the sake of Haru's propriety, Urahara insisted on housing Takumi in a different room… come to think of it, he hadn't emerged from the basement until after dinner, and even then, he hadn't said four words to her. She couldn't bring herself to complain to him about Ishida's coldness, or about Ichigo's prying, or about Shinji's irritating haste to draw conclusions. As for Hinamori, she had been rather quiet that evening. Haru hoped it was only because she was tired. She stretched her arms over her head; the cross on her arm catching a glimmer of light and Haru's attention. Once she lowered it, she seized the cross in her left palm, staring at it, reliving in one instant all the memories connected with it. A sharp pang of abandonment swept over her, drawing her to throw herself on the futon, curl up in a ball and hold it close to her heart.

_Nande? _she asked herself. _Everything I cherish… it seems so distant today. Byakuya-sama is in Soul Society alone, and Ishi-nii… well, he would rather I not be here from the looks of things. This feeling… _Haru grappled with her other hand for the blankets and drew them over her head. _This feeling… I hoped I had forgotten it. _The only sign she gave of her angst was a perpetual tremble, subtle yet perceptible to any onlookers. She didn't hear the door slide shut, nor did she hear the steps meander down the hall to the dining room, where Urahara and Tessai both sat drinking coffee.

"Neh, what's the matter, Fujiwara-san? You don't look happy with yourself."

"It's nothing," he answered, sitting down and pouring himself a glass of coffee. He shot it back like a cup of sake, but with such rapidity that he didn't even taste it. The two men observed him, casting questioning glances at one another, before Urahara spoke again.

"Look, if you're in a bad mood, I recommend taking a break from whatever it is you were doing down there. I can't afford to have the place torn completely apart if you get reckless. Besides, you wouldn't want to upset Haru-sama, now would you?" He waved his fan and smiled, his gray eyes perceiving with ease the sudden change in Takumi's demeanor. His fist struck the table with enough force to make the cups rattle.

"Tell me where I can find Ishida Uryuu," he said in a low tone. "I desire to have a word with him."

"Yare, yare… if you plan on speaking with your fists, then I can't tell you anything. Haru-sama would never forgive me."

"The thought never crossed my mind, but thanks for the idea. I'll keep it in mind."

"Urahara-dono," Tessai murmured, shaking his head to plead with his boss to maintain secrecy.

"Look, if you don't tell me, I'll just track him down. I have ways to find him, ways my captain probably would disapprove of. Still, I'll use them just the same." Urahara peered at the young man beneath the shadow of his hat. There he was, sitting cross-legged in his gigai, wearing some kind of sleeveless hooded sweatshirt and a pair of loose jeans. His face was against his palm, and his elbow rested on his leg. There was a faint glimmer of a threat burning across his right eye, and even though he was in a gigai, Tessai and Urahara could both feel his reiatsu flare. They glanced at each other again.

"Give me your word."

"You have it," he responded.

"Urahara-san, you can't be serious…"

"Iie… I feel we should test the boy. If he isn't a man of his word, then he certainly isn't good enough for Haru-sama." He closed his fan and resolutely set it down on the table. "Ishida Uryuu lives in an apartment a few blocks away. Number sixteen if I'm not mistaken…" He rested a hand on his head as he mused, smiling subtly at the perplexed look on Takumi's face. "However, he spends most of his day at the high school. He should be leaving in… would you say twelve minutes, Tessai?" The large man nodded his head once. By then, Takumi had already stood and began making towards the door. "Don't you need to know which…"

"It's two blocks south, then three east. I know," he answered, sliding the door open and colliding with whoever was trying to come in. He stammered a hasty apology and then disappeared down the hall, leaving behind the baffled Hinamori.

"Ohayogozaimasu, Urahara-san, Tessai-san."

"Ah, ohayo," responded her host. "You slept well, I hope?"

"Hai," she responded, smiling as she seated herself. Then, her own thoughts consumed her.

"Is something wrong?"

"Iie… I was just wondering…" She stopped and shifted her gaze. "Taichou… didn't strike me as the type who slept late. To be honest, I'm a little worried about her. Oh, but I didn't want to wake her! If she's sleeping, then she's probably at peace…"

"You chose rightly not waking her. The last time I tried, she nearly broke my jaw," the shopkeeper confessed, rubbing his chin. This bit of information startled Hinamori; perhaps it was wise to let Haru sleep after all. "Besides, I wouldn't worry too much. Takumi has gone to rectify the situation."

* * *

Ishida left at the normal time, carrying his bag in his hand as he paced his usual course. He gave the sunrise a glance, realizing that he had seen many others like it. His shadow walked before him, cast by the sun at his back, but that morning, they had company. Try as he may, Ishida was unable to rid himself of the feeling… no, the absolute certainty, that he had been wrong to treat Haru as he did. The sheer passion in her declaration lingered in his mind, suspicious because of the vivacity with which she delivered it, but still… she was the kind of person who could seldom get away with lying. Then, there was her propriety to consider… but hadn't she violated that already? And wasn't she planning to cast it aside for whatever mad reason she held as good and valid?

A sigh escaped him as he rounded the corner and found he could go no further. The sound of a hand colliding with the wall stopped him in his tracks. The fact that an arm stretched out before him drew his gaze outward, and when he followed the length of the arm to the face, he examined the face for a moment before the memories came back to him. He mustered up a glare despite his fatigue and threw it in his stalker's general direction. "Relax, will you? And what's with that look?" Ishida stepped around him nonchalantly, but it was no use. The arrogant young man was already following him with those cold blue eyes and his confident steps. He decided it was best to ignore his second shadow, but he found he could only do so for a short amount of time. Besides, he couldn't think with an audience.

"What do you want with me?" Ishida said wryly.

"Me? Nothing personally," he answered. Without adding another word, the quincy turned away, but the young man persisted. "I don't approach you for my own sake, you see. It's for her."

"If Haru-sama has anything to say to me, then let her come herself."

"She wouldn't face you, not the way she was this morning, at least." He took a few extra strides and stepped in front of Ishida. He had to stop walking, and his lack of progress vexed him greatly. "Just listen for a minute, all right?"

"You said you had nothing to say."

"They're my words, but for her sake. You understand." His eyes flickered with a pale fire as they studied the quincy and gauged the distance between him. He hoped he had enough time to dodge in a gigai if Ishida decided to throw a punch.

"No, I don't," he answered. "The first time you met Haru-sama, you hated her. You disrespected her, and you would have killed her, too, had it not been for her own skills outclassing your own by a power of one thousand. I don't know when you changed your mind, but really… drop the ruse. You still feel the same way you did back then." Takumi didn't deny the accusation. Instead, he stared Ishida in the eyes for a moment, hurt and a bit bewildered, before smirking at the pale blue sky overhead.

"Maybe I was… a little jealous. Truth be told, I still am. Here, I've worked my whole life against my name, and along comes someone working for her own. What was I supposed to think? Anyway, I've grown to respect her… honest. And if you don't believe me, then so be it. That's why I came, really… I feel like I need to make amends. Besides, it's not everyday someone can look me straight in the eye while I'm in _that _state of mind without so much as a visible trace of fear." What state of mind Takumi was referring to, he never expounded upon. He simply rammed his hands in the pockets of his sleeveless sweatshirt (an atrocious garment in Ishida's opinion because it had absolutely no practical purpose whatsoever) and stared vacantly at the sky, smiling that intolerable smile. "Just hear me out. You don't have to take my advice or take anything I say as legitimate or anything like that." Ishida turned to leave, but the shinigami was persistent and agile despite his being trapped in a gigai.

"You're going to make me late," he said with exasperation.

"Then at least heed this warning." There came such a change in Takumi's tone that Ishida had no choice but to listen. "You make her cry again, and I'll make you wish you had never been born."

"That sounded like a threat."

"Well, I take the bond between a brother and a sister very seriously."

"I'm not her brother. I'm just her go-between."

"A bond like that isn't just built out of blood," Takumi answered in the same severe tone. "It's sacred. It's not something you can just turn your back on. As her brother, it's your job to keep her heart together, not break it apart."

"Then maybe she should think of me for once!" Realizing he had spoken with too much fervor, Ishida swiftly forced his way through, glancing at his watch while he paced forward. This time, when the lithe figure crossed his path, he balled his hand into a fist and thrust it forward with as much force as he could. Takumi staggered against the wall, nursing his wounded jaw as his head spun wildly. He felt himself sink to the ground, gazed blindly up at the absolutely incensed Ishida, and followed the quincy's shadow with his gaze as he walked away. A strong temptation drew him to his feet, made him take three steps after the gradually shrinking figure… but then, he recalled his own words. Wiping the blood away from his lip, he clenched his other hand into a tight fist. With the desire to pursue the quincy and deliver recompense with interest, Takumi glared in Ishida's direction and watched until his shadow rounded a corner. He still half considered running after Ishida but settled instead on doing the most difficult thing he had ever done in his life: he turned his back on his opponent and surrendered the battle's victory.

It would be a long walk back. The distance itself was short, but the cloud of defeat hung heavily over him.

* * *

They sat in silence in the little dining room, Hinamori sipping some strong tea, Urahara downing his fourth cup of coffee. Tessai had long since abandoned his post to rouse the boisterous Jinta and the demure Ururu, leaving her alone with the peculiar shinigami. He seemed to have a strong affinity for sugar and a fan fetish of some sort. Still, the fact that he was so entirely reserved caused her some anxiety, and she did the best she could to hide it. The fact that Urahara kept studying her from beneath the shadow of his hat did nothing to help matters. "Yare, yare," he sighed at last, leaning back. "It's nice to have Haru-sama back under my roof. It will be difficult to relinquish her again."

"Again?"

"You probably don't know much about Haru-sama, having just awakened from a catatonic state. No doubt she had something to do with it." Hinamori made no verbal response but gave a slight nod to verify his accuracy. Urahara also remained silent, which gave her a little time to think.

"That's right," she murmured softly. "Taichou used to live here, and she used to spend her days in school. She lived by herself for the last two years of her life, but earlier, she stayed with her sensei."

"Is she still calling me that?" chuckled the man behind his fan. "It makes me feel so old… I really wish she wouldn't."

"I think it's endearing," Hinamori said indignantly. He altered the course of his gaze so it was on her, two smoky eyes that looked as though they had never in their life conceived a meaning beyond the only ostensible one he had come up with. "Taichou thinks highly of you enough to acknowledge your role in her life. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't take it personally. After all, she seems like the type of person that has lost so many precious things… perhaps it's just her way of holding on to you despite being a dimension apart. To be honest, I'm kind of jealous. I'm the only person I know that she calls by family name." She managed a wry smile as she sipped her tea. "She even calls Takumi by his given name, as if she doesn't want to acknowledge the demon in him."

"Yes… the Fujiwara clan…" Urahara rubbed his chin and leaned against his hand for a moment. "I've heard they're an unusually strong bunchbut they suffer dearly for that power. Maybe I pity him a bit. He reminds me of my days in the Gotei 13 and how much I suffered for my power." An infinitesimal number of Hiyori kicks flashed through his mind. He had seen the bottom of her sandals so many times that he could probably draw it from memory. "Speaking of power, do you know what motivated Haru-sama to take a position as captain?" Hinamori thought about it for a moment, then shook her head. "I'll have to ask her when she gets up… and anyway, I wouldn't let her distance bother you. Perhaps it his her way of endearing you, Hinamori-san." A moment of silence passed, in which she was allowed to digest Urahara's theories and postulates while he in turn ruminated over her own. The moment was cut short before either of them got far. "Back so soon?"

Takumi said nothing; he simply fell into the same position he had originally sat in, nursing his jaw as his face turned to a picture of acrimony. "Takumi-san, you're bleeding!"

"That doesn't surprise me. For a scrawny little pencil, that quincy can throw punches. Relax," he hastily added as soon as he saw the stormy eyes peering at him from beneath the hat. "I never raised a hand to him, just like I promised. Besides, she would never forgive me if I had." He bowed his head, wiping the trickle of blood away from his lip with the back of his hand. "It makes me sick… the way she calls him brother, and then he just turns his back on her like nothing's happening, all because of a stupid title…"

"Something tells me that isn't it," Urahara murmured. "Still, it's not my place to make judgments like that." Takumi couldn't bear to cast his eyes anywhere but his own hands, which were clenched into fists and trembling.

"If I'd had half a mind, I would have knocked some sense into his thick skull, the cowardly bastard…"

"Hush," ordered the shadow passing before his face as it grabbed his chin with one hand. Seeing anyone that close made him want to run. He instinctively seized her wrist and tried vainly to pull it away. His eyes, wild with bewilderment and aversion, flew to the other, in which there was a paper napkin.

"Get the hell away. You're not my mother."

"If taichou heard you talking like that, what would she think?" That stilled him long enough for Hinamori to wipe the blood away. At the merest touch, his brilliant eyes flew to his own lap.

"Why are you doing this?" he murmured. "You know what I am."

"Maybe taichou did ask me to make an effort at putting up with you, but that isn't good enough for me. If anything is to remain stable, it needs to be backed by genuine, voluntary bonds of friendship, which includes trust."

"Demo…" he objected.

"It may not be something you're good at, but you'll have to get better."

"Wait just a minute! She said she wanted me to be her vice captain, not you!"

"So?" Hinamori inquired. He flinched at the coolness in her voice; he had intended to get a rise out of her. Still, he detected some sort of resistance beneath her comment and immediately decided that it wasn't worth dealing with. "Stop fidgeting," she commanded.

"H… hai." Urahara hid his bemused expression behind his fan, oblivious to the footsteps behind him.

"Ah, young love… I thought wedding bells were in the air for Haru-sama…" Before he could make a further comment, something flashed through the air and landed directly on his skull. Takumi, already made skittish by Hinamori's closeness, flew against the wall, pushing her away while his mind frantically tried to catch up with his body. Urahara, despite his obvious pain, managed a sheepish smile. "O… ohayogozaimasu, Haru-sama."

"What was that I just heard about wedding bells?" she demanded through clenched teeth.

"Well, if Byakuya is a man of propriety like you say he is, then you two should at least be engaged before sleeping together."

"Stop bending the context!"

"Hai, hai," he answered, waving his fan. "Is there any particular reason you aren't in your gigai this morning?" Haru drew back slightly, rising to her feet. Hinamori stared up at her, questioning but receiving no response. The eyes were hidden behind her glasses, which glinted with a dangerous light. She sighed to repress it slightly before turning to Takumi and speaking.

"Sumimasen, Takumi… I've caused you some trouble, haven't I?" Bewildered, he simply stared at her. "Forgive me."

"Taichou…"

"You shouldn't have gotten yourself mixed up with my pigheaded brother. It is best to leave him alone when he gets like this."

"But taichou…"

"I'm telling you, it's fine," she insisted, seating herself. In her free hand was a full cup of piping hot tea, which she sipped at intervals as order restored itself to the room. Hinamori rearranged herself, but Takumi remained in his corner, his skin still crawling, his heart still pounding at having gotten that close to something that had been a threat just a short time ago. Hell, it still was a threat… it was just a bit of a different nature than it had been. Warily, he rubbed his arm and half mumbled an excuse until Haru beckoned to him. "Sit down, Takumi."

"I… would prefer to stand." His voice was unsteady, and Hinamori, realizing she had troubled him that much, bowed in silent apology.

"So, Haru-sama… is there any reason you're not in your gigai?"

"Not particularly," she notified her sensei, "but I do have some training I want to do today."

"Sumimasen, Haru-sama, but Takumi-san already has stakes on the basement, and…"

"Don't worry… it's not with you for once." She poured herself another cup of tea and rubbed her shoulder. "Heaven only knows if I will be able to handle it." Takumi raised a brow at her secrecy, having recovered himself a great deal. Hinamori was equally curious, but she didn't dare ask her captain questions. In less than half a minute, Haru had downed her tea and rose to her feet. "I should be leaving soon."

"Taichou…" Takumi interjected.

"I'm already late as it is. I don't much feel like getting lectured this morning."

"Taichou," Takumi said again.

"Despite my hesitance, this is the kind of thing that must be done." As she went to leave, Takumi darted across the room and slammed his palm against the wall, effectively stopping his captain. She peered at him with mild curiosity and was bewildered to find such a pitiful expression on his face. He sighed audibly when she retained her silence, begrudgingly moving aside with his shoulders in a slump. A sort of determination smoldered in his eyes until the moment she crossed the threshold. He took one glance back at Hinamori and Urahara, nodded his head in farewell, and raced after her. It wasn't difficult to catch her since she walked at such a sluggish pace.

"Taichou, you… I mean, I…" He saw Haru's critical eyes peering at him and lost every word he had planned on saying. His eyes fell to the floor until he perceived she had turned away. Then, he remembered everything and bolted after her again, putting a hand in the doorway before she closed it and pushing it open.

"If there is something you have to say, I wish you would say it."

"Taichou, I just… I want you to know that… that I'm here." Haru arched a brow; she didn't catch his meaning and attempted to pull the door shut. "If you ever need to talk, that is." She continued staring at him. "I know I'm not Byakuya. I just thought I'd offer. You know… just in case you needed to…" Takumi verbally stumbled again when he saw the way Haru was looking at him. It seemed that tact would no longer accomplish anything. Still, he was hesitant to mention what he had seen that morning and let his eyes drop again until the gentlest touch landed on his bruised jaw. Startled, he looked up at her, his azure eyes wide with uncertainty. The slightest smile graced her lips, and she nodded her head as her hand dropped away.

"You should not have gotten involved, Takumi-san."

"That isn't true… I felt like I had to." Her gaze became clouded with trouble.

"Nande?" He remained serious for a moment, then rested a hand on top of her head the same way he had that time in Soul Society, back before she was a shinigami… the mere thought of it painted her face with nostalgia and tempted the faint sheen of tears to her eyes.

"Because you're my captain." That did it. She bowed her head to hide her eyes and trembled beneath the gentle weight of the hand on her head.

"Takumi…" Startled at the unsteadiness with which his name was delivered, he began to withdraw, but she seized his wrist before he could. "Arigato," she murmured, and then the door separated them. After a moment of being alone, he closed his hand around the empty air and turned away, leaning his moist forehead against the wall. His fingers brushed against the wound and felt abrasive, making him clench his fist and hold his breath. The demon in him stirred, causing him to growl slightly and pushed away from the wall to face what he thought was an empty hallway. Instead, he found a bewildered Hinamori standing there, holding one hand to her heart while her eyes analyzed him. She took one step back when he strode towards her, but her withdraw did not discourage him.

"What is it?" he demanded in a quiet undertone when he was near enough.

"Be… betsuni," she stammered.

"It must be something. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been staring at me like that." Takumi raised his right hand to his left forearm, gripping it tightly as if to remind himself of something, or perhaps to give himself some sort of warning. "Are you thinking I'm not good enough to be her vice captain? Is that it?"

"I thought nothing of the sort," she insisted. "I only wished you could have made her smile again. She just seems so… so downhearted." He bowed his head and silently agreed with her, touching the wound on his chin again, noting how abrasive his own hand felt again, leering as the demon in him stirred again. "Daijobu desu ka? You look…"

"Fine," he answered grimly, turning away. "I'm just fine."

"Takumi…"

"Quit asking questions if you don't want trouble." He realized it sounded like a threat and dipped his head a bit before peering over his shoulder at her. "If I were you, I'd take the lie instead." Hinamori wasn't given a chance to further interrogate him. He strode away with such a doleful purpose that Hinamori couldn't find the voice to continue. Sighing and nodding, she tossed the door to her room open and stopped in the doorway. Haru peered at her from over her bare shoulder, her shihakusho just low enough on her back to reveal the intersection of the cross on her back. Her nutmeg locks hung over the other shoulder, and her eyes, fixed on the scene outside the window, were desolate.

"Sumimasen, taichou! I didn't know you were…"

"It's fine," she murmured. "Shut the door. I don't need any more of an audience." Hinamori obeyed, letting her eyes drop to the floor until the rustle of cloth stopped and Haru's erect shadow threw itself across the sun-painted wood. Her futon was already rolled up. The yukata she slept in was folded on top of it. She peered back at Hinamori once she had her fill of looking at the sun. "Do you have something you want to ask?" Hastily, she shook her head. "Then why are you here?"

"Because…" She hesitated, then continued. "Because I want you to smile again."

"You know what I am here for. I can't smile in light of that."

"You're upset because Takumi got hurt. Is that it?"

"If you think that's it, then you're mistaken," she returned, running a comb steadily through her hair. "I'm here to bury my grandfather and all the nobility that would fall on my shoulders with his death. That means seeing the family who disowned me after my father died, the very same family who blames me for his death and despises me for what I am. As if that isn't enough, my own brother despises me, and I had to leave Byakuya-sama behind in order to carry all this out." With a sigh, she rubbed her temples and let her head drop, a curtain of hair falling around her. There was something more, Hinamori felt, that Haru wasn't telling her, but she didn't press the subject. She simply crept forward and knelt before the downhearted shinigami. "I don't know… I just don't know anymore… what this world is coming to."

"Taichou," Hinamori said firmly, gathering her courage and touching the girl's shoulder. "I'm not sure what's going on. I don't pretend I do, nor do I pretend I'd understand, but… regardless of what it is, I promise I'll follow you to it, and Takumi will, too."

"You can only follow me so far," she answered, tilting her head to one side to reveal one vivid violet eye. "Once I leave your reach, I'll be alone, and then…" Haru stopped herself, realizing she had said too much, and pulled her hair back, tying it with the silver ribbon, fondly remembering the evening Byakuya's hands had manipulated it. "Hinamori-san, please know this much. I am fighting for what I believe in, only for what I truly believe in. No matter what happens, remember that." The light in Haru's eyes was firm yet somehow shadowy. She rose and turned to the window, her hair flowing behind her, the two pieces framing her face swaying gently with her movement.

"Can I ask you one thing?" Haru nodded in response, which probed the question to become something more concrete than a thought. "That mark on your back… what is it?" Hinamori's eyes widened as Haru turned to face her. Her face was painted with a gentle smile of apology.

"I will tell you when the time is right. Until then, please bear with your curiosity. And now… forgive me, but I must go. Shinji-san doesn't like it when I'm late." Without another word, Haru leapt through the window and flashed into the distance. Hinamori remained where she was, remembering the indigo lines but more so the smile they had summoned. All that was left now was to figure out how she should spend her day. She decided to bring Takumi lunch later, along with the reassurance that their captain would be fine after all.

* * *

He was waiting for her at the fated corner, his hands in his pockets, his back against the wall. Every now and then, he would glance at the sun and sigh impatiently. He was beginning to think she would never show up when the sound of his name made him glance towards Urahara's shop. "Shinji-san!" She had one hand in the air, waving at him, and when she was close enough she bent over with her hands on her knees, breathing heavily.

"Oy, Haru… yer late."

"Sumi… masen…" she panted, glancing up at him. His brows fell together in vexation. "Shinji-san? What is it?" Hirako extended a finger and poked her forehead.

"Ya just got this real serious air about ya this mornin'… somethin' happen?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary, I can assure you." Haru stood fully erect, straightening her glasses and rubbing her shoulder. "The others are waiting. Shall we go?" He turned wordlessly, and she walked beside him, her hands folded in front of her. They spoke very little, but Hirako kept shifting his eyes around. Haru watched him with some curiosity, then finally stopped walking altogether. Once he realized he was alone, he stopped and glanced back at her. The silvery violet eyes were fixed on the sky, on the sluggishly moving clouds that were growing slowly in number and darkness. "Shinji-san… is something about to happen?"

"What makes ya ask that?"

"Just a hunch," she answered. "I think… there will be a hollow coming down here to collect me soon."

"Like I'd let any hollow take ya." His protectiveness made her smile. "Ya belong to the vizard, Haru. Yer like family to me. Everyone else says so, too…"

"Shinji-san, I've never known you to be the sentimental type."

"Then don't ya go doin' anything stupid, got it? If ya did, I'd have to kick yer ass… if ya even lived, that is. The only reason I'm gettin' all sentimental is because yer makin' me worry again." Her gaze turned slightly stern, and she continued pacing forward with her head held a little higher. Soon, she lost herself in the sky, forgetting that her feet were on the ground. Hirako walked beside her, hands still in his pockets. "Ya can't tell me ya'd go willingly."

"Not at all," Haru responded after a moment. "I have already made it quite clear to the espada that the only way they are getting me to Hueco Mundo is as a corpse. At least, that is what I told the one I have met thus far."

"Ya mean to say ya fought an espada?" The only response he got was from silence. "So, did ya win?"

"I'm still alive, aren't I?" He swallowed and said nothing. "Are you really that surprised?"

"Iie… just a little…"

"A little?" Haru pressed, trotting in front of him and whirling to face him with her hands on her hips. "Baka! Are you underestimating me? Haven't I already told you I've gotten a lot stronger since I last saw you?" Startled though he was, Hirako's expression reflected only amusement. He grinned from ear to ear at her determination and walked forward, dropping a heavy hand on her shoulder that dispelled her irritation. "Shinji…"

"Nani?"

"Do you think…" She paused, dropping her gaze. "Do you think I'm strong enough… to lead a division against Aizen?" Troubled, his hand became slightly heavier. "Do you think I'm strong enough… to help someone defeat the demon in them when I'm not even strong enough to defeat the demon in myself?" Haru rested a hand over her heart and looked up at him again, but his expression hadn't changed. He was still frowning with the same trouble that scurried through his eyes.

"Ya know…" Haru felt the weight leave her shoulder. She peered at him with curiosity, then objected when that same hand fell on her head, pushing it down while moving abruptly back and forth. "Yer thinkin' too much about it. I told ya before, didn't I? I liked ya much better when ya weren't so serious…"

"Hai… hai… I get it… just stop, please…" Those words were all it took to make him withdraw. After straightening her hair, she threw him a leer only to find him smiling again. His expression was contagious; it soon washed over her face too, and for a moment, they just smiled at each other. When he started forward again, she walked beside him, but the heaviness that had plagued her steps before was almost entirely gone. She was enveloped instead in her own thoughts. After all, there were problems in her life that were not quite of such a serious nature. _I shall have to reconcile with Ishi-nii… the question is, how do I go about doing it? _She glanced at Hirako, at the steady and strange look on his face, and came to the conclusion that the vizard probably didn't have any advice to offer. She could see herself now, chiding him for lashing out at her poor vice captain when he was only trying to help, and she could hear the casual retort that he was "only a shinigami." That was one point they could probably never see eye to eye on: being a shinigami herself, Haru accepted them in their entirety the same way she found it in her heart to accept everyone else in the world who didn't cast her away. But Ishida… he was one of those unfortunate people, bound within the ideology that had been forced upon him, a willing prisoner. "What am I going to do with you?" she sighed to herself.

"Eh? What're you gonna do with me?"

"Iie, not you, Shinji-san… just that troublesome brother of mine. I guess he's angrier that I won't be taking up my place as head of the family than I expected."

"And why aren't ya?"

"Why should I?" she responded with a nonchalant shrug. "They aren't my family… at least, not in the important way. Besides, they have made it quite clear that I am not welcome."

"Doesn't mean ya shouldn't reject the power, ya know… it'd come in mighty handy if yer goin' after a man as noble as Kuchiki Byakuya."

"Marriage?" she demanded irately. "I've thought nothing of the sort! I'm only fifteen!"

"You'll be sixteen soon."

"That's still too young, baka!" Haru could tell clearly from the grin on his face that he was enjoying every minute of her frazzled state. Nonetheless, some shadow loomed in her eyes that prevented him from fully savoring the moment. She was still scolding him when they arrived at the abandoned warehouse and continued to do so as they descended every step into the cellar, she walking directly in front of him. "You'd better not let anyone else hear you talking like that. The last thing I need is to answer a hundred questions on…" Haru flashed out of sight for a moment, and the next thing Hirako knew, he was on the ground with one foot slammed across his face. After a startled moment, he leapt up and shouted as he wiped the blood away from his name.

"Why the hell're you kickin' me for, Hiyori?"

"I wasn't aimin' for you, dick head!" She turned to leer at Haru, who was standing with one hand over her mouth and her head tilted slightly. "If it wasn't for the fact that she moved so damn fast, I woulda kicked her instead! Besides, you would've moved if ya'd seen it comin', dumb ass!"

"Dumb ass?" he echoed, holding his nose. "If ya had better aim, ya wouldn't a missed!" Haru spectated as the two argued for a few moments until she noticed a shadow stretching out before her.

"You always cause a stir when you come here."

"I know," she responded, smiling and rubbing the back of her head. "It's a wonder I keep coming back." Haru took one step to the right and watched as Hiyori flew past her again. She didn't stop smiling as the pig-tailed girl whirled around and glared at her. "What in heaven's name is that look for? Kensei-san was just greeting me… there is no need to get offended."

"Dumb ass! I'm not offended!"

"Sure, sure," Haru retorted, waving her hand.

"I'm not offended, but I am mad as hell!" Hiyori thrust a finger at Haru, causing her to peer bewilderedly down at the girl. "Don't ya give me that innocent look! I know what you've been up to since ya died, and I can't condone what yer doin'!"

"Sou… souka…" Haru responded slowly, raising a hand to her chin. "Exactly what was I doing again?" Hiyori leapt up and grabbed the front of her uniform, yanking her down to eye level.

"Baka!" she shouted. "Yer beddin' that noble, that's what!" Haru took a moment to process the words, trying vainly to conceal her bewilderment, but to no avail. She simply stared at the vizard and tried to come up with something to say.

"The meaning of your words is unclear," Haru answered at last. "Would you care to describe the context in which I am supposed to take them?"

"You know exactly what context yer supposed to take them in!"

"Souka," she responded, a subtle fury laced through her undertones. "If that is the case, then… I wholeheartedly deny your accusations!" Haru stooped to Hiyori's eyelevel, showing the vizard with her gaze that she would not tolerate such crude assumptions. Scoffing, Hiyori released her and allowed her to retreat to a safe distance. She readjusted her uniform while attempting to maintain the image of placidity, but it was an easily distinguishable façade. Once she had finished, she turned back to the vizard, who had all arrived by that point to greet her. Realizing she couldn't see them through her glasses, she removed them and wiped the misty haze off their lenses; she must have been blushing again. "Honestly, can I go anywhere without getting harassed about this? I'm going to make it clear to all of you right now: it isn't like that. Byakuya-sama is a man of propriety, and you know how difficult it is to make me lose my head. Kuso… I almost forgot why I came." She rested her glasses on her face, straightening them with a steady hand before straightening her posture. She was prepared to start her business, but apparently, they weren't ready to let her.

"Haru-chan!" She perceived Mashiro dashing towards her with a smile, but she couldn't find the heart to return it. Her excitement faded as she glanced to Kensei. "Kensei… why's Haru…"

"It's probably because of what she came here to do," Rose muttered. "Am I wrong?"

"Not entirely," she answered.

"Well, it probably doesn't help that she's about to become a captain. I remember how stressful it was…" Love reflected.

"Hai, but that isn't it, either."

"You must've had a lonely night," Lisa noted.

"Hai…"

"If you are, Shinji'd be more than happy to…"

"Absolutely not!" she objected, whirling and thrusting a finger at the amused vizard. "And if you even say anything, I'll crack you damn skull open!"

"Relax! I'll tell ya the real reason she's so down!"

"Can we please stop trying to psychoanalyze me?"

"She's afraid I'm gonna beat her in a fight!"

"I'm not afraid to lose, and while I do feel the pressure of becoming a captain, and even while I do miss Byakuya-sama, and while I dread the days to come more than you could ever know, I swear, it isn't any of that." Haru threw her gaze at the sky to collect herself, then pressed her glasses up her nose. "I've been given orders. I can't tell you what they are. The bottom line is, I need training, and since Hiyori-san has expressed her interest in a fight, I have no choice but to accept the challenge." She turned to Hiyori with a startlingly serious smile. "But first, would you mind if I gave my greeting to everyone else, Hiyori-san?"

"Course not. We're always glad to have ya."

"Arigato. I won't forget your kindness." Haru marched to each of the vizard in turn, exchanging a smile or a bow. Machiru gave her a hug that nearly knocked her to the ground, and Kensei, not being the type for formalities, cordially shook her hand.

"Careful," he muttered. "We've been restless all day, even Hiyori. I think something's about to happen."

"No need to think," she returned. "I know something is about to happen. I just hope it will not disrupt my dual with Hiyori-san." He shook his head and withdrew his hand.

"Damn… I'm still tryin' to figure out just how you know all this stuff."

"I doubt I could explain it even if I knew, Kensei-san." She smiled in such a way that made him pause and drew something critical into his eyes, but before he could figure out exactly what it was, Hiyori's impatient demand caused Haru to turn away.

"Oi, oi, oi! You want a fight, ya'd better come and get it before I give it to ya while yer back's turned!"

"Hai, hai," Haru said, folding her hands and walking towards Hiyori. An instant later, the two of them flashed away, with Kensei still rubbing his head while he thought.

"What's the matter?" Hirako asked.

"That girl… did she seem off to you?"

"I'm pretty sure we've all reached a generally consensus that, true to her Yamashita blood, she's plottin' somethin'."

"Yeah, but what?"

"Who's to say?" Hirako responded. "I just hope she knows what she's gettin' herself into."

* * *

Haru marched silently behind Hiyori, staring at something beyond the figure in front of her. Her sight was projected inward at the tasks ahead, each of them more deplorable than the last. Then, there was the lingering emptiness inside of her. _I wasn't really missing him until Lisa-san mentioned what a lonely night it was. _She gave a wretched sigh. _How… how in heaven's name did I come to take this task on my shoulders? Why is my own brother abandoning me now? I can't pretend to understand any of this… _With a sigh, she rubbed her throbbing head. She was tired of thinking.

"Oi, oi, oi… ya wouldn't lie to me, would ya?"

"I will give you the same response I always give: not unless the situation called for it."

"Then would ya care to explain what's really goin' on? Ya look so troubled…"

"Perhaps because I have much to be troubled about."

"Yeah, yeah, I get that, what with yer nobility and all that useless garbage. Still, if ya didn't wanna leave Soul Society, why did ya?"

"I feel obligated to make my intentions clear. I will become a captain in the Gotei 13 and relinquish my nobility to simplify things. They won't need to worry about being governed by a shinigami."

"If that's what ya even are."

"Hiyori-san…" she breathed, then her face turned serious. "I don't care what color my reiraku is anymore. Formality or not, I decided I would be a shinigami regardless of whether it matches my decision."

"That's pretty dumb," she retorted, scratching her head while turning to Haru, who stopped in her tracks and returned the gaze she was given. "Ya should just stay here… we ain't so complicated as Soul Society. We don't give a damn about ranking or nobility or any of it."

"It was my choice to join the Gotei 13."

"Ya sure ya weren't pressured into it?"

"Who would pressure me?" Haru had enough sense to process the sword shooting towards her and drew her own, blocking Hiyori's two handed strike by holding her katana with its point downward. "Byakuya-sama would never…"

"This ain't about him. It's about whatever the hell's goin' through that head of yours." Hiyori shoved the startled girl back and delivered another strike, which she easily blocked.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm sayin' ya pressured yerself." This time, it was Haru who shoved the vizard away and returned the blow with such a force that Hiyori's feet slid across the ground. "Seems like I touched a nerve."

"Joining the Gotei 13 was my decision. I didn't do it to pay a debt or fulfill some purpose, or even so he would be proud of me."

"Then why did ya?" she asked, smiling as her blade slid against Haru's and gazed into the purple spheres that pierced her. "Yer makin' me nostalgic with those eyes, Haru…"

"Really?"

"They look just like yer mother's. That's the same way ya looked at me last time I saw ya." Haru felt the blade twist and gritted her teeth before stabilizing it with difficulty. There was something bitter in Hiyori's tone, a facet that became amplified by the fact that the vizard soon bowed her head. "Ya didn't have to die that day, Haru, so why did ya choose to? What good has any of it done? Don't ya know how much Shinji suffered because of it?"

"What about you?"

"I ain't talkin' about me right now."

"Admit it. You suffered, too." Hiyori returned to Haru the pain her accusation caused. She watched Hiyori push off the ground and processed too late the fact that she had pivoted directly over her head. One foot came down against her shoulder with enough of a force to draw a sharp cry from her lips. Hiyori's sword broke free and shot towards Haru's neck, but she moved just enough so the blade only caught her cheek. By then, the vizard had readjusted her position and thrust her other foot into Haru's stomach, throwing her across the ground in a heap. The hand around her sword was trembling, having long forgotten the magnitude of power possessed by Hiyori and her companions. Winded and with the feeling of impact still burning across her shoulders, she remained motionless for a few moments. For some reason, those blows hurt more than any she had ever received; they brought stinging tears to her eyes and made her want to keep laying in Hiyori's shadow.

"If ya hadn't died…" She stopped for a moment, which drew Haru's eyes to move to Hiyori's face. Since her own vision was blurred, she couldn't tell whether the girl was angry or crying. "If ya hadn't died…" The shadows shifted, and Haru decided the girl was mad because she had raised her sword. "Think of all the things ya coulda done for this world!" Haru threw her weight when she perceived the sword descending and tumbled across the ground, clutching her sword to her. "Do ya realize what ya allowed by dyin'? Ya let Aizen win… ya let that scheming bastard win! Ya gave up the life yer parents fought and died to preserve! Is that what ya wanted?" Hiyori charged, but Haru was too quick. She rocked her weight onto her shoulders and kicked the flat of the blade as Hiyori was preparing to raise it. Then, she threw her weight rapidly forward again to get back on her feet. Her shoulder throbbed, her back tingled like mad, and through the haze of her own tears, she perceived some familiar force that she had temporarily forgotten, though she wasn't sure what it was. She wasn't given time to analyze it; Suzaku instinctively shifted and clashed with the blade racing towards her. "Did ya give up on life that day? Yer wings were broken, but they weren't unfixable, dumb ass!"

Haru wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and turned her blade to counter Hiyori's again while her eyes were covered. Despite her unsophisticated speech, she paused for a long moment before taking the next hit. "Haru…"

"Perhaps I lapsed in my judgment that day. I couldn't realize then how much leaving this world would hurt you and Shinji-san, but I never intended that, nor did I have any intentions of letting Aizen win. He had something to do with that accident… perhaps he led that man to believe there was nothing there until the instant before he hit me, or perhaps the man was hired to kill me and made such a good show of innocence that even I was deceived. Regardless of that, Aizen planned my death from the start. Staying alive for another several months would not have changed my fate. Besides…" Haru's eyes fell shut, and the familiar competitive smile graced her lips. "Though the human me is dead, I am far from being beaten. Soul Society made me alive again. Byakuya-sama opened my eyes to what living really was. If I am proud of what I am now, then it is his doing. If I am stronger than I was when I died, then it is his doing. And if I happen to have a fuller appreciation for what I left behind, then that…" Haru paused and gazed at Hiyori. "That is probably his doing as well. He accepted me even after he knew what I was, and for that, there are not enough words to repay him, though… I think he is just happy to see me smile as often as I do."

Haru took one hand off her sword and rested it on Hiyori's head. She was still oblivious to the tears running down her opponent's cheeks. "I haven't forgotten any of you, honestly. I have just been so wrapped up in helping Byakuya-sama with the paperwork and dodging death at every turn that I just forgot to remind you of that, so…"

Haru tilted her head to dodge the foot that came flying in her general direction. Hiyori swiftly wiped her face and retorted, "Now yer gettin' too sappy on me, dumb ass."

"I am merely speaking from my heart, Hiyori-san." Their blades parted as Hiyori withdrew, rubbing her head as she paced steadily away.

"If I beat ya, then ya fess up about this Byakuya guy… and while yer at it, ya can tell me why ya became a shinigami in the first place."

"Why would I need to provide an answer for that?"

"Because if ya don't know why ya did it, then ya don't need ta keep doin' it. Ya can just come back and be a vizard…"

"Demo…"

"Don't give me any of that technical shit. I know you ain't got a mask the same way we do, but yer still like family to us, Shinji and me both." Haru listened to Hiyori's words in silence and considered them with a slightly bent head. Then, her chin touched her chest, and a smile unlike any other spread across her face.

"Hiyori-san, arigato. I shall carry these words in the darkest places so that they shall give me light."

"Be sure to," Hiyori stated, raising her sword. "Alright, Haru… give it all ya got. Put all that frustration for your block-headed brother into yer sword. I can handle it." They peered at each other for a moment and communicated silently that the battle should continue, but before they began exchanging blows again, they exchanged friendly yet competitive smiles.

* * *

Finding Takumi in the vast expanse of Urahara's basement would have been difficult had it not been for the faint reiatsu he was giving off. It was a difficult climb down, but she somehow managed to complete it without dropping anything. She meandered through the empty space until she came upon him, and even then, she darted behind a rock. The determined young man repeatedly swinging his sword downward. He had discarded his haori because even in the basement, the sun beat down warmer than he had expected. She sat the lunch down and peered at him for a moment, watching the blade arc through the air again. He was out of breath, but that wasn't stopping him from carrying on. He raised it as soon as it had fallen and cut the air, his blue eyes burning with determination until his bangs fell into his eyes. Hinamori pressed her back against the rock, smiling and debating on whether or not it was good to interrupt him. It pleased her to see such ambition in a newly inducted shinigami and recalled the indolent days following her own entrance into the Gotei 13. After another moment of reflection, she glanced again and realized that, just like when he was in his gigai, there were bandages centered between his elbow and shoulder on both arms.

She wondered about them for a moment and must have gotten lost in her thoughts. The next thing she knew, he had stopped in mid-swing and was peering incredulously at her. Clearing his throat, he swung his sword once more, this time with only his right hand, and then slid it carefully into its sheath. Then, he turned his back to her and set about readjusting his shihakusho. "Takumi, those bandages on your arms…"

"That's one question I can't let you ask, Hinamori-san."

"But Takumi, if you're hurt, then…" He cast her a sharp look, his pale eyes darkening with seriousness, and she immediately let the subject drop.

"Why are you so worried about me, anyway? I can take care of myself, you know."

"Well, I just figured that if we were going to be in the same division, then we should at least try to build some kind of camaraderie. I think it will be easier for taichou to adjust if we aren't arguing all the time."

"Then you're really outdoing yourself," he answered. "The way I understand it, friendship isn't a worrisome thing at all."

"Urusai!" she shouted. He turned to face her with his haori still hanging open and folded his arms across his chest. She glimpsed the small cut on his lip from the morning's encounter and proceeded to drop her eyes in shame.

"Souka… I think I get it now. You're only doing this because everyone else looks down on me."

"That's not it at all!" Hinamori kept her eyes on her own shadow. She hated him, and she knew that she hated him, but there was an even stronger hatred in her. She abhorred her irrational hatred for this young man whom Haru fully intended to replace her with, not merely because of her own drop in position, but also because of his name and the curse that came with it. So, in a sense, he was right, but she couldn't bear to admit that to him. Hinamori glanced up with the full intention of telling him off for it, but she caught a glimpse of his brilliant blue eyes peering through his golden hair. That took her to a whole new line of thought. She perceived the irony of it, that though he had the looks of an angel, he was really a demon inside. Still, she noted the touch of sadness in them and the heavy sigh that escaped his lips as he ran one sleeve across his sweaty brow, pausing only to glimpse the bundle hanging from her right hand.

"You brought lunch."

"From what I understand, you take this training of yours seriously, so rather than make you climb all the way back up, I asked Tessai-san if I could bring it down to you." He peered at the bundle again.

"That's an awful lot of food for just me," he said with a smirk.

"Well, I hate eating alone. You'll just have to deal with it."

"Why not eat with Urahara or Tessai?"

"Because they're both very busy people, and if taichou were back, I would eat with her, but…" A troubled look spread over her expression. Takumi studied it for a moment before smiling in submission.

"Suit yourself," he answered, "but I'm afraid I'm not very good company." She seemed to accept his answer, and once they had said the opening thanks, they began. "By the way," he stated, lifting a piece of egg roll with his chopsticks, "I should probably thank you. Even if it is because you hate me, you're going through a lot of trouble and making an effort. That's more than a lot of people have done for me." She stared at her tea for a moment, her eyes flickering with curiosity. "If you've got something to ask me, then do it. The worst I can do is refuse to answer." She turned her cup slightly, watching the distorted reflections play across the tea's surface.

"Why did you choose her?" Takumi peered at her to signal his lack of understanding. "You could have attached yourself to anyone in Soul Society, and you could have just as easily accepted your stigma and become a recluse, but you didn't. You chose Haru-sama." A smile spread across his expression as he hunched his shoulders and set his chopsticks down.

"I guess it's because… I admire her."

"You admire her?"

"It's kind of hard for me not to." He bowed his head a little further. "She's got so much going for her… a noble, a captain, but she still takes the time to acknowledge people like me. Haven't you noticed? She never looks down on us despite the fact that society says we're far less than she is. But really, the reason I chose her… is because of the way she embraced her own differences. Born to a quincy and a shinigami… but even then, she's overcome so much of what society has imposed on her. To still be able to smile like that even after all she's been through…" His voice trailed off into silence, drawing Hinamori's attention. Suddenly, he took his head in his hands while a bout of tremors seized his shoulders. She thought for a moment that the demon inside him may be trying to take control, but she soon discovered that wasn't the case. "The world… has this nasty habit of hating people who are different. It's not fair… that she should be condemned for being what she is."

Hinamori hadn't really stopped to consider the injustices of Haru's existence before no more than she had Takumi's. She could only bear to watch him tremble for another instant or so before she rose and paced to him, reaching out one tentative hand to rest on his shoulder. She knew deep down that he was referring to his own experiences with injustice, the frowning upon him from nobles and commoners alike. That was why she couldn't second guess herself. Her hand descended onto the trembling flesh, and with the other, she took up his napkin, pushing it against the side of his face. He tensed up for an instant, then forgot his pride and leaned against her hand. "You haven't had an easy life."

"Find one person that has," he retorted, peering at her, rubbing his other eye with the back of his sleeve. "You haven't exactly had the easiest life, either."

"That's true," she answered, still a little unsettled that such a simple question would drive him to such an emotionally unstable state of mind. "Gomen."

"Don't apologize. It's not your fault," he answered, pulling away and mopping his brow. "Ne… Momo…"

"Hmm?" He tilted his head backwards and stared for a long moment at the false sun overhead.

"I think… that taichou's planning something."

"What could she be planning?"

"I don't know," he answered grimly, "but for some reason, I'm afraid to find out." Takumi's half-lidded eyes peered at her, gleaming with some sort of suppressed demonic aura that startled her into withdrawing. He smiled again, wrapping one hand around his zanpakutoh to pacify it. Hinamori folded her hands and timidly glanced at them. "Something else to ask me?"

"Ano…"

"Curiosity isn't a crime, but hesitation can get you killed in battle," he quipped. Hinamori realized he was right and nodded.

"Well, I… just wanted to know…" She glanced at the ground for a moment. "What's the real story behind this family curse of yours? Is there really a demon inside of you, or is that just some kind of metaphor?" Takumi considered it for a moment, placing another bite of food in his mouth and chewing slowly as he thought her question over.

"You want the truth?"

"If I didn't, would I have asked?"

"Then I'll tell you… that whole bit about making a deal with the hollow is a crock. Sure, they tell it that way, but it isn't true. That's nothing but a story. And my father didn't just make the bargain for some extra power. Still, a bargain was made, and I'm the one who has to pay for it."

"But with who?" Hinamori cried. "What were the effects? Why are you like this?" He shook his head in dismay at her troublesome curiosity. Then again, he only had himself to blame for awakening it and permitting it to continue.

"You know how taichou told us how she can manipulate her own reiatsu? She can change the frequency, amplify it or weaken it according to her will."

"Of course I remember."

"Then that will help you understand me. See this sword…" Takumi held it in the air, keeping it sheathed but showing mild distaste for it. "This is what controls how my reiatsu shifts. If I get angry or afraid, it can change so frequently that I lose all conscious thought. When I'm like that, I'll try to kill anything, whether it's a hollow or another shinigami. It eclipses my ability to think for myself and reduces me to acting only on my basest instincts. That was part of the bargain… my father wanted reiatsu strong enough to prove himself. Instead, he just wound up proving how deadly the desire for power can be, even if it is for a just cause." He ate another piece of food, chewing it as he continued. "He didn't live long enough to serve out the contract, so I got stuck with the rest of it, and because of that, my zanpakutoh and I are constantly at odds. It wants control of my mind and body, and I want to maintain that control so those hellish dreams of mine don't come to pass." He paused again to swallow, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand before filling it again. "What it comes down to is I don't really want to kill anyone. It's been my nature in the past to act arrogant so people wouldn't get attached to me, but it seems like fate has the upper hand."

"Why's that?"

"Well, the first time I met taichou, she beat me in a dual, then altered her appearance to hide her identity. Even though I was the loser, she showed such respect and humility that for some reason, I just started thinking. The next time I met her, she showed me her weakness in the form of tears, and by taking a potentially lethal blow for me. At the same time, I couldn't ignore her strength. Even in the condition she was in, she gathered enough strength to take the hollow down. That day, I decided I wanted someone like that to be my captain, and I would take the first opportunity I got to make it happen. Still, the whole reason I kept coming back was because of those tears… I swear, I'm such a sucker when a woman cries. It must be from seeing onee-chan cry so much when I was young." Hinamori, who had been preoccupied with eating, stopped for a moment and digested his words. He was still sitting with his legs crossed, and his haori was still hanging open. "Well, you got your answers, and I'm pretty full. Goshisou," he said, clapping his hands together and getting to his feet.

"Takumi!" she called after him, causing the young man to stop and turn to her. Hinamori wondered if she should press the issue further. After gathering her courage, she looked up at him with surprising determination. "You still haven't told me… who your father made a deal with."

"Who?" Takumi smiled and shoved the haori off of his shoulders, no longer bothered by her presence. "With the devil, of course."

"That isn't very specific." He pulled the blade out of its sheath, ignoring her comment. "You'd better tell me right now, Fujiwara Takumi, or I'll…"

"You'll what?" Takumi's eyes flashed in an attempt to deter her, but it was too late. She was already on her feet and drawing her sword. A trace of fear raced across his face, then devoured his expression completely.

"I may not look like much, but I'm still a vice captain. Before I was in my catatonic state, I was more than capable of holding my own, so I guess I'll just have to figure out how far behind I've fallen by fighting you."

"Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself?" he stammered. She flashed forward, and his sword moved on its own, blocking the blade that was intended to cut him. The strength behind it more than caught his notice. His arms visibly trembled with the effort it took just to hold her steady.

"Come on. You can't honestly be that afraid of me."

"It's not you I'm afraid of." He glanced to the side for a moment, trying to hide his sheepishness. "Look, I said I didn't want to kill anyone. That includes you. I'm telling you this for your own good."

"You just think you can beat me."

"That's not it at all!" he shouted. "Because the truth of the matter is, I lose even when I win! If that demon gets a hold of me, then there won't be any stopping me… that's what I'm concerned about." She considered his words for a moment, then withdrew, drawing a sigh of relief from Takumi.

"If it's really that much trouble, why don't you become stronger than your sword? You know, go beyond its influence?"

"It's impossible. My father made a deal with the devil himself. There's no way I could ever be stronger than my own sword." He cast his eyes downward and clutched the side of his arm, grimacing at the thought.

"You're using figurative language again. Tell me clearly, or I'll really be driven to fight you. Who made that deal with your father?" He clenched his fist, fighting against his obligation to answer and fighting even more against the urge to withdraw his own caution.

"Yamashita…"

"Nani?"

"I said Yamashita," he answered irately. Hinamori's breath caught, and her eyes grew wide at the resentment in his eyes, more self directed than towards anyone else. "Yamashita Masahiro, the seventeenth heir to the Yamashita clan, and… Yamashita Haru's blood grandfather." She tried to absorb the information in the silence that followed, but all she could do was stare as Takumi unsheathed his sword and cut the air with an expression far grimmer than that which he had worn before.

* * *

A clash of swords echoed through the emptiness around them. They were nothing but two blurs that became momentarily visible before charging at each other again. Haru, with her shikai between both hands, swung upward to meet Hiyori's blade. She tilted her head just enough to avoid the kick and responded with one of her own. The opposing sword moved just enough so her foot struck the flat of the blade. Then, Hiyori shoved her back again. Haru stabalized herself, trembling as her shaky, burning lungs drew a breath. There was no resentment between them, only determination and a desire to win. Haru flashed forward this time, ramming her blade against Hiyori's with a formidable force. The vizard's feet slid across the ground, and she pushed against Suzaku with her own sword.

"Yer gettin' tired," she noted. "Why don't ya just give up?"

"Because there is no pride in partial victory, and no victory in partial effort."

"Is that one of Kisuke's?" Haru smiled.

"You remember it from your days in the Gotei 13?"

"Nah… I don't remember stuff like that. I don't see any use in it."

"That is a shame," Haru answered, shutting her eyes and shifting her reiatsu to a higher intensity. With that, she shoved Hiyori away entirely and rushed after her as she skidded across the grass. They exchanged blows for a time, Haru dodging the constant barrage of kicks and slices, even when they came together. She twisted her body and thrust one foot at Hiyori's stomach. The recipient of the blow managed to block it with her wrist but was thrown backwards. She turned her body in the air and landed on her feet, breathing just as unsteadily.

"So, did Kisuke teach you to do that? More importantly, did he teach ya to fight with yer eyes closed?" Haru smiled and lowered her sword for a moment, adjusting her glasses.

"Is he capable of teaching me something like that?"

"Then where did ya learn it?"

"I taught myself," she responded, turning her palm towards the sun. "I've found I fight better when I follow disturbances of the reishi in the air in order to note my opponent's movements." Smiling, she adjusted her hold on the blade just as Hiyori lunged at her again. Their swords clashed together, then clashed again as Haru returned the blow. It was all Hiyori could do to keep a hold of her weapon. There it was again, that same familiar feeling, and as was the case with her last moment of thought, this one was abruptly interrupted. The tip of Hiyori's sword came just close enough to the bridge of her nose to knock her glasses off. Startled, Haru watched them sail through the air, trying vainly to process what had happened. She was still too preoccupied by the familiarity she was feeling. A foot flew against her stomach, and at the same moment, a blow from Hiyori's sword sent Suzaku flying out of her hand. The first thing that struck her back was the ground, drawing a gasp from her lungs. After she stopped moving, she vaguely perceived the sound of her sword hitting the ground. Then, she balled up as a fit of coughing seized her.

"That's what ya get fer spacin' out. Oy, Haru… make sure ya don't do that if yer fightin' an espada, now." Haru was still coughing but managed a weak affirmative. "Hey, you gonna live?"

"I think so," she murmured, drawing her hand back. It was covered in blood.

"Oy, Haru!"

"Iie… I just bit my tongue is all," she hastily responded, sitting up. Doing so did not improve her condition, and she continued coughing into her hand until her eyes clouded with tears and she grew dizzy with the effort.

"Dumb ass… ya overdid it," Hiyori retorted. "Ya know yer limits but refuse to accept them… why're ya so damn persistent?"

"I am not aware of my limits," she answered. "I never have been. Besides, I am only tired because of the stupid limiter on my reiatsu."

"Limiter?" Haru adjusted her shihakusho and wiped the blood away from her lip. Then, she set about examining her glasses while trying to recover her breath.

"When anyone above the rank of third seat goes to the human world, they are obligated to undergo a limiting process. Honestly, I am surprised you have forgotten so much about Seireitei and its various laws already."

"Yeah, well…" Hiyori trailed off. "Exactly how much reiatsu are we talkin'?"

"My output has been cut to twenty percent of the original." Haru sighed woefully and rested a hand against her temple. "Kuso… and I'm not even formally a captain yet. Soutaichou-sama is so cruel… he wouldn't even compromise and let me slip through with half. Takumi-san and Hinamori-san both have the same limiter, even though Takumi-san is still technically only a seventh seat." She sighed again, then glanced to Hiyori, who looked a little bit appalled and greatly shocked at her revelation. "Well, at the very least, you have defeated me for now. Does that satisfy you?"

"Not in the least," she said with a grin. "I won't be satisfied until I beat ya at full power."

"Then you will never be satisfied, as I am forbidden to release my full power." Haru flinched when she realized Hiyori's hand was outstretched, offering her help up. She smiled and took it, though the aid was made difficult by their difference in height. Once Haru was on her feet again, she stretched casually. "Is something wrong?"

"Betsuni," Hiyori responded. "I just got a feelin' I should check up on that dumb ass Shinji."

"Then by all means, please do. I know how hasty he can be. I find his lack of trust in others rather disturbing sometimes… though I can't really blame him, considering what Aizen and Soul Society did to him." She paused and considered the weight of betrayal, shifting her left arm so she could clutch the cross around it in her hand and hold it to her heart.

"Ya should be careful," she said as she walked away. "I don' think any of us would want the same thing happenin' to you…" Hiyori disappeared after that, leaving Haru to consider matters on a more serious level. While Haru had private reservations about ascending so quickly in Soul Society's ranking, she found no reason to mistrust Genryuusai or his intentions, whatever they were. Then again, there was the possibility she could be wrong, and it was a possibility she had considered long and hard before demanding she be made a captain. Still, Haru knew something was missing, some feeling or sentiment, some internal burning that every other captain seemed to possess. Perhaps that was why she left with such ease even though she knew she would not be going back for some time.

"I understand you are leaving Soul Society, Haru-sama," Genryuusai had said to her the day before she left. She dare not ask Byakuya for the time to go and speak with the captain commander. Fortunately, Hitsugaya was more forgiving. He not only gave her permission but threatened to sick Matsumoto on her if she didn't answer the elderly man's beckon. "May I ask the occasion?"

"It is family business, sir, and nothing more. I will return as soon as I possibly can, though it may take a little longer to sort out than I had initially hoped." He nodded and gave an affirmative grunt, causing her to stir slightly beneath his gaze. "Is there… something the matter?"

"The precise matter of this business does not merely concern the Yamashita clan." A shiver worked through Haru's shoulders, but she didn't deny it. She simply cast her eyes to the ground and dropped to one knee in a gesture of utter submission.

"Soutaichou-sama…"

"Do you realize what you intend to do is a death sentence? If you come back at all, you will likely not be the same."

"I am more than aware of the risks involved, but I cannot simply let the matter go, not because of any discontentment I have with Soul Society, but because of my own selfish pride."

"Then you intend to sacrifice everything, even your own position here?"

"Have I not already told you I am loyal to Soul Society? What difference do my actions make so long as you have my word?" The old man peered at her for a moment, realizing that she had raised her eyes and was now gazing intensely into his own. "You must realize that a long time ago, I lost someone very precious to me. Since that day, I have often wavered between uncertain self-contempt and an icy vengeance that could easily freeze hell over. He deserved more honor in death than he received. Because of that, and because of the scorn I was shown, I grew very uncomfortable with what I was. Only since coming here have I learned to embrace every part of myself, the virtues and the faults. For that, you and Byakuya-sama and everyone else here is worthy of nothing less than my undying gratitude and my unwavering allegiance, but with the way things stand, I cannot yet give you that. There are loose ends that need tying; only then can I be the captain you wish me to be." Genryuusai said nothing in response. He found himself mute beneath her onslaught of words. "It is in my nature to hate leaving things unfinished, just as it is in my nature to pay every debt, and I mean every debt, whether it is beneficent or virulent, no matter how dangerous."

"It is not worth losing your life over, Haru-sama," he answered sternly.

"I don't care. I don't care if you see it as petty or pointless because to me, it is a complication that needs resolved. Yamamoto-soutaichou, if I do not act, then things will never change. I can't ask you to accept my decision, and I can't ask you to forgive my rashness. I only ask that you have faith in my loyalty. My word is all I can give." She bowed her head again, hoping against all hope that something she said stirred him. She heard him rise and pace slowly towards her. The shadow loomed over her, rigid as a century-old sycamore, and his staff struck the ground just inches away from her hand.

"Rise, Yamashita Haru." She remained still for a moment, then pulled herself to her feet, keeping her eyes locked on the floor. "I see then that there is no deterring you. Very well, then… I will give you orders instead." Startled, Haru looked to him, her mouth gaping slightly as she drew in a breath. Then, her expression melted into a grateful smile. "Just understand that by accepting these orders, you are demonstrating your loyalty to Soul Society and that, should fortune see fit to bring you back, you will receive an official promotion for your fortitude…"

Haru flopped down on her back and gazed at the false sky above. Several white clouds dragged through the azure sea, drawing a sigh from her lungs. _I have agreed to this, but my heart is in pain. The price of my actions is as of yet unknown, but I know there is nothing I cannot lose._ She recalled her promise to Byakuya, that his only orders were to return safely. _How could I have promised him such a thing, knowing full well that I cannot keep it? At least I will not have to see him again… my brother despises me, and I have cut ties with the sixth division. I still have yet to rid myself of those two… yet how can I, seeing how much they admire me, and considering the fact that I myself admire so much in them? Takumi's spirit is boundless, and Hinamori-san shows me more loyalty than I can stomach._

Sighing, she threw her weight and turned onto her right side, resting her head in the crook of her arm and tampering with the ribbon in her hair. _That's right, _she thought, recalling the faint vibration that had moved through the air. _For a moment, I thought… _An epiphany like no other seized her, and she sat bolt upright with widened eyes. The breath she was drawing in hitched as she remembered her injuries, but she was still conscious enough of her surroundings to feel it. Though it was barely perceptible, it was too intense to be nothing more than a figment of her imagination. Her panic subsided, and she patiently rose to her feet, smiling bitterly at what she now had to do. "Baka," she said to herself as she began pacing in the direction of the reiatsu. "You should have known better…"

Oi… I'm tired. Carbs and tryptophan are not exactly a combination of substances conducive to updating the fanfiction. Of course, the three-hour car ride did not help matters. To help you appreciate this chapter a little more, think of it as my sacrifice for all my readers, reviewers, and fans, because I am seriously about to keel over on the keyboard and have a nice, long carb coma. ^_^' Anyway, I wouldn't leave you guys without your Japanese lesson. You would be so heartbroken if I did.

Nande: Why

Yare, Yare: Urahara's famous catch phrase, which translates roughly to "Well, well"

Iie: No

Ohayo-gozaimasu: Formal good morning

Ohayo: Just regular good morning (Btw, who's going to Ohayocon in January? W00T!)

Hai: Yes

Demo: But

Sumimasen: An apology

Arigato: Thanks

Betsuni: Nothing

Daijobu desu ka: What is it

Baka: Stupid

Nani: What

Souka: I See

Goshisou: A shortened version of what is normally said following a meal.

I will post the next chapter as soon as the Harvest Moon addition wears off… not to mention the carbs. Oh, the carbs… until then, please take care of yourselves!


	13. Chapter 13: Agreement

A/N: Greetings, all, and welcome to year two (?) of the infamous giant fanfiction saga! (For lack of a better title at the moment…) This fanfiction is standing proof that I have absolutely no life! As if the Harvest Moon addiction did not attest to that, right? Anyway, I hope you're all enjoying yourselves, what with it being New Years Eve (at least where I am). So, to celebrate the new year, I thought I would post this chapter, considerably short than those preceding it, which means those of you with neck aches, back aches, and index finger aches (from scrolling down so much) will have a window of opportunity to recover from your condition!

It has been a wonderful year, all. For those of you who are wondering just how things are going, the first installment of this series, Koware ta Tsubasa, has over 200 reviews and is approaching 30,000 hits (Say it with me now, all: It's over 9,000!!!!), which is super exciting. The sequel currently has 97 reviews and about 4,500 hits. You guys are totally fantastic! When I started this two years ago, I never dreamed I would get that much feedback! Thank you all for your patience. Words cannot express the totality of my gratitude. To those of you who have continued being my fans throughout the years (oh, God… I just made myself feel old again…), you guys rock! Let's make it an awesome 2010! And to my reviewers from the last chapter, yuzuki0429, NAO-chan33, kudokuchan69, Ray-nee-chan, kaito142, and CRdragonPyro, a special New Year's thank you in the form of virtual bubbly (champagne). Cheers, all!

For those of you who are disappointed with the length, I apologize. I'm trying to make up for it with a super long A/N (in case you haven't noticed). If you knew how many chapters I had in reserve, you would hunt me down (a frightening prospect) or hack my computer (even more frightening). Rest assured, they will be posted at some point in the near future! And without further ado, here is chapter 13!!!

Note: As evidenced by the A/N, this chapter is sponsored by parenthesis. Parenthesis (when a colon doesn't cut it.)

* * *

_Chapter 13: Agreement_

They sat back to back in much the same condition, bound by a high-level kidou spell they lacked the means to break. Still, one thought he would try, and so insisted on struggling and swearing at least twelve times a minute when his struggling came to nothing. "Damn it!" he yelled again, fidgeting from side to side with pathetic futility. His captain tried to shut his noisome antics out, but in the end, they inevitably distracted him.

"Stop moving. Neither your squirming nor your swearing are improving the situation."

"Well, it's making me feel better!" he answered just as loudly, growling as he threw his weight again. "Just what the hell did we do?"

"I believe we trespassed."

"But it was for a good cause, taichou!"

"Perhaps." The stoic note in his superior's voice caused the redhead to sit up and glare over his shoulder at the composed noble. "Still, if Haru-kun truly is acquainted with such people, then I will have to rethink her entirely."

"You mean again?" Renji growled again and tried to pull his wrists apart. They were bound behind him with chains made of light, and if he could just get one hand free, he would be able to use Zabimaru to finish the job. Finding that all he did was exhaust himself, he gave up his struggle and sighed. "It's your fault."

"How so?"

"You were the one that dragged my ass down here insisting that you felt something."

"You did not have to accompany me."

"Yeah, well… I'm gonna kick her ass for ditching roku bantai. That's the only reason I'm here. After that, you can have her all to yourself."

"I appreciate you giving me permission," Byakuya said dryly.

"The hell is with your sarcasm? It ain't exactly helping our situation. And why are you so composed? You even realize what kind of situation we're in?" He said nothing in reply but simply tilted his head to one side. "We could be killed, or eaten."

"They don't seem cannibalistic."

"I don't really give a damn what they seem like!" And with that, Renji renewed his pathetic struggling, jostling his superior with renewed vigor that drew a trace of anger across his slate-colored eyes.

"Sit still."

"The hell I will! You may be willing to give up the ghost, but I'm too young to die!"

"Renji," Byakuya said flatly.

"Urusai! I ain't gonna sit still, and I ain't gonna give up! You can just take your orders and shove them!" The anger burned in his captain's reiatsu, and he knew he had said too much. "Su… sumimasen."

"You had better be," Byakuya said darkly.

"I can't help it. I'm just frustrated." He thought he heard his captain sigh and sat up straighter. "Something the matter?"

"Just the fact that you have the audacity to insult me when I cannot even fight back properly."

"I already told you, I was only frustrated. You can't blame a guy for that. I hate being defenseless almost as much as you do. In fact, I avoid it like the plague." Renji sighed and swallowed the rest of his words, doubting anything would improve Byakuya's current mood. "This really sucks." He shut his eyes and wished for freedom. He wished so hard that he imagined footsteps. Byakuya sat up, drawing him out of his mental escape. Apparently, they weren't merely a product of his imagination. A shadow stretched towards him from the left, causing him to turn his head and eye the approaching figure. He opened his mouth and tried to speak but could only stammer a few incoherent syllables before she robbed him of the right to first words.

"Honestly," she retorted, resting a hand on her shoulder, "you two are the most troublesome shinigami I know. Tell me, did you get bored and come to see me?"

"The hell are you acting so casually for after yesterday? We got your damn transfer slip, but there wasn't any other division on there! You'd better fess up and tell me exactly what's going on, Haru, or I'll kick your ass so hard, your dead ancestors will be feeling it!"

"Renji," Byakuya interrupted.

"I'm freakin' serious! Start talking!" Haru blinked for a moment before adjusting the glasses on her nose and smiling faintly.

"Fine, if you would rather I speak without letting you go first… what happened, anyway?"

"What the hell does it look like happened? We were ambushed and reduced to this by some big guy with pink hair and a shorter guy that grins a lot!"

"How troublesome…" Haru retorted, rubbing the back of her head. "I'm sure Hachi-san and Shinji-san meant well… they were probably suspicious because you somehow got past the barrier and just barged in." She folded her arms and glanced to Byakuya's face, which suddenly became a bit more stoic than it usually was at the news that, yes, she did indeed know these strange characters and was on a first name basis with them no less. "Why are you here, anyway? Shouldn't you be in Soul Society?"

"I was impatient."

"As you frequently are," Haru sighed, letting her head drop a bit. "You should have stayed there." Renji tried to pivot his head to get a good look at Haru's expression, and for once, his squirming did not sway Byakuya at all. In silence, she removed Suzaku from her sheath and dispersed its initial form over one link in the chain. Soon, the whole bakudo disintegrated, allowing Renji to stand and rub his stiff wrists. He stretched one arm over his head and leaned to the left, then reversed his direction. Only after he was finished did he recall his initial desire and turned to Haru, but she was still staring at the ground as if bitterly disappointed with their chance encounter. Byakuya's gaze flickered with a trace of something. He seemed to come to a conclusion before glancing away.

"Oy, what gives? Yer actin' like it's a bloody damn funeral! Cheer up, will ya?"

"Renji," Byakuya said firmly.

"Yeah, what?"

"A moment alone," he responded. "Do not go far, lest you get yourself caught again."

"Hai, hai," Renji retorted with a wave of his hand as he retreated to a safe distance. "Come and get me once you two are done makin' out."

"Renji!" Haru shouted, bolting after the vice captain but quickly becoming captured by the snare of Byakuya's arms. He had the same blank look on his face he always did, only his eyes were ablaze with some indistinguishable sentiment. Once she saw it, she begrudgingly stopped struggling until she saw the smirk on Renji's face. "You damn bastard! I swear to the gods, the minute Byakuya-sama lets me go, I'm going to crack your thick skull open!"

"Whatever you say," he replied nonchalantly. He wandered away without saying anything else, leaving a fuming Haru alone with the stoic captain. Byakuya made no attempt to speak until she stopped struggling, and even then, she only did so because of a presumable injury. She winced as his hand touched her right shoulder and emitted a slight gasp of pain.

"Well, you certainly are livelier now. Perhaps I should reward Renji for his comment."

"Urusai," she retorted, avoiding his eyes. "I think I'm mad at you."

"Nande?"

"No thanks to your selfishness, I have to muster up enough composure to say good-bye to you again. I swear, for a captain and a noble you can be a complete idiot."

"There was no need for that comment, Haru-kun," he said softly.

"Gomen. I'm just in a bad mood is all."

"Oh?" Haru couldn't stop him from pulling her closer, nor could she restrain the whimper that escaped her as her back brushed gently against his chest. "Could it be that even this short time away from me has put you in this mood?"

"I… iie…"

"Hmm," Byakuya murmured, snaking one hand under her chin and tilting her mouth towards his. "I think you are lying to me." He bent forward to kiss her, but she put up enough of a fight to deter him.

"Honestly, Byakuya-sama… it isn't you at all. It's just…" Seeing the disappointment in his eyes, Haru bowed her head. "Gomenasai… I dislike speaking of the matter altogether. Please do not be vexed by my secrecy." He peered at her in consideration and allowed her to keep talking before sating his own appetite. A doleful sigh escaped her, and she leaned against him, shutting her eyes as if she intended to shut out the whole world. "Byakuya-sama, have you and Rukia-san ever fought?"

"I am not sure what you are asking me."

"I'm asking if you've ever gotten in an argument." Byakuya took a moment to consider the past fifty years, reflecting in particular on his nicest memories when he stumbled across them.

"I cannot recall any serious arguments. Minor disagreements were common when I first adopted her into the family, but even in these, she simply relinquished her efforts and allowed me the victory out of politeness and gratitude."

"Souka," she murmured, sighing again.

"May I ask for the motives behind your inquiry?"

"My own brother… seems to think I should become the head of my family." Haru loosened his arms from around her waist and whirled to him. "It isn't something I want to do. In fact, you know more than anyone that I want nothing to do with the Yamashita clan, not after they disowned me. How can I be ignoring my duties when they hardly gave my mother a dime to support me after otousan was killed? And after she died… well, I was in much the same position. Urahara-sensei truly did save me from a life on the streets because I would rather have taken my chances there than be pent up in some fancy mansion, a slave to the whims of my elders. If I did take that position, then… there is a good chance I would have to leave you. I honestly don't think I'm willing to do that, so…" She bent her head and stared at the ground, hoping to derive an answer from the subtle patterns in the grass. Unfortunately, she found nothing but his shadow, which moved forward and weighed heavily upon her.

"But it isn't just that," he murmured. "I know you better, Yamashita Haru." Haru folded her hands and obstinately stepped out of his reach when he moved to touch her, sending him a leer that was intended to deter him. "You cannot honestly say you would choose a family that has done nothing for you over someone who has done much."

"Even if I didn't choose them, I cannot say with certainty that I would be allowed to stay with you. I understand that you have gone against their matrimonial intentions for you once already."

"What are you saying?"

"I am only saying that I have no desire to be the locus of complication in your own household." As usual, Byakuya exerted a level of obstinacy that went far beyond her expectations. He walked forward, using his gaze to keep her motionless, and cupped her face in his hands. Her power of resistance was entirely overwrought. Slowly, the violet eyes fell shut, and when they were closed entirely, she felt his lips press chastely against her own. With nothing more than that, he drew back and set his fiery eyes upon her. "What was that for?"

"I forgot to give you that before you left," he answered.

"Souka," Haru answered softly, lacing her arms around his neck and pressing her face against his shoulder. They remained silently in their embrace for a moment, until Byakuya pushed her gently away, keeping his hands firmly on her shoulders.

"May I ask you a favor, Haru-kun?"

"Of course."

"Do not waste your concerns on my family." It took Haru a moment to process the words. Though they were simple enough to understand, the kiss still lingered on her lips and buzzed in her mind.

"D… demo, Byakuya-sama…"

"As much as I appreciate the sentiment, I can assure you that any more thought on them is wasted. If it comes to thwarting their disapproval, then I will deal with them. I will fight for what we have and cut down anyone that stands between us, whether I need to use my zanpakutoh or my words to do so." He worked one tress of her hair through his fingers. "I can see this new weight in your eyes, Haru-kun… would you care to explain what it is?" Her eyes shimmered briefly before she cast them away. She could tell just by the way his hand stopped that he was troubled by her secrecy.

"Fine. I agree to not worry about your family, but you must let me handle this particular trouble on my own. Promise me you won't let it bother you anymore, Byakuya-sama." He gave a slight nod of agreement and leaned forward to kiss her one more time, but just as he was closing his eyes, a flash of red crossed his peripheral vision, and he stopped midway.

"Sumimasen, taichou. I just thought I felt somethin' is all."

"Felt something?" Haru echoed, realizing that she was still in his arms and vainly attempting to push him away.

"Yeah." A troubled look overcame her expression as she tried to discern precisely what it was, but Byakuya and his typical impatience disrupted her.

"I'm sure it was nothing," he stated, pulling her forward again.

"Byakuya-sama! Matte!" Haru pushed on his shoulder hard enough to get him to stop, but the amusement was still dancing in his eyes. She felt the blush spread across her face as she caught a glimpse of Renji's expression. Then, she calmly cleared her throat and made her best attempt at speaking logically. "You… should not attempt to make such ministrations when we are in public."

"Please. It is no worse than what you did before you left."

"But that is entirely different! I thought I wasn't going to see you for a while, and so I let my emotions get the best of me. I didn't think you would turn up here without a moment's notice."

"Then let's enjoy each other's company while we still can." He spoke in the tone that usually captivated her and made her forget every common decency that had been ingrained in her mind, but this time, because she had an audience, the device somehow failed. She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered something in his ear. Renji supposed it was something that not even the stoic captain could resist, because he immediately ceased his ministrations and, after giving a simple nod of his head, began forward. Haru jerked her head towards the vice captain, and Renji bolted after them.

"Ano… can I ask what the hell that was about?"

"Oh, you can ask," Haru returned before Byakuya could even begin to reply, "but that doesn't mean I'll tell you anything."

"Baka kodomo," he grumbled. "Well, at least I know for a fact that something's going on between you two, now."

"If it took you this long to figure it out, Renji, then it really isn't worth explaining."

"Hey, don't you forget whose idea it was to ditch work and come to the human world!"

"By my recollection, I did not ditch anything. I simply exercised my executive authority and decided that my efforts would be more properly exerted the human world."

"So, you essentially abandoned your work," Haru responded with a sigh. "I should really scold you for such rash actions, Byakuya-sama, but I am afraid I no longer have the authority to." He peered briefly at the girl over his shoulder, then continued walking.

"You will explain your relationship to these strange people as soon as we leave."

"Gomenasai, Byakuya-sama, but I have promised them I wouldn't."

"And a promise to those who threaten Seireitei is just as good as a promise to the captain commander himself?"

"Ridiculous. They are not threats to Soul Society. They simply weren't sure how to handle you is all. Besides, it isn't every day that someone slips through that barrier."

"How would you know?" Renji demanded. "Did they tell you that?"

"Well, sort of," Haru replied, smiling as she pushed the glasses up the bridge of her nose. The light skimmed across their surface, fading away to reveal two focused and calculating amethysts. It was a look that drove Renji to silence, and Byakuya knew her well enough to know that she had no desire to discuss whatever was on her mind. Even though she was right behind him, she seemed so far away with such a distant expression. He had half a mind to interrogate her, but the matter seemed far too important to impose upon. A subtle sigh escaped him as he turned his eyes away, recognizing several familiar figures in the near distance yet not thinking anything of it.

"A… ano, taichou," Renji stated, stopping.

"Come on, Renji. We will not get out if you insist on taking frequent breaks."

"It isn't that. It's only…"

"If you have time to complain, then you have time to walk."

"But taichou…" He bit off the rest of his sentence due to the leer he received. Having no choice but to hold his tongue, he walked forward with uncertainty, peering back at Haru. She was still lost in thought and oblivious to whom they were walking towards. As they came closer, Renji inwardly cringed and blinked. When he glanced up again, the number of figures had decreased by one. Haru shoved her way past him just as she flashed into view with the full intention to plant her foot on Byakuya's face. Instead, it found a wooden sword, positioned askew between her two hands. She gave a slight wince of pain and noted that her opponent was drawing her sword. Without thinking, Haru's left hand jerked Suzaku free of its sheath. The blade sailed upwards through the air as their assaulter attempted vainly to withdraw. Metal struck metal, and the disengaged blade sailed across the ground. Haru staggered backwards, raising her hand to her right shoulder. She perceived the gasps of pain she was emitting, noticed that the light reflecting off of her blade quivered with each breath she took. Conscious of her condition, she stilled her gasps with one sigh and straightened, letting her sword fall and her shoulders take on the rigidity of a soldier's.

"Say somethin'," she commanded.

"What should I say?"

"Well, ya can start with explainin' why the hell yer with those two." Haru had forgotten about them, and so she turned back to study the dry look of annoyance on Byakuya's face at having been protected, then looked to Renji's shocked expression. "And ya can also explain to me why ya insisted on holdin' back all this time." She didn't speak at all, but turned as if offended or shocked at Hiyori's words. Hiyori simply turned to her companions. "Neh, Shinji… you think I oughta use the mask?"

"You wouldn't dare!" Hiyori crossed her arms and peered at Haru, whose eyes blazed subtly as she glared at the vizard. She knew what would have to happen if that event came to pass, and it was a measure Haru wanted to avoid because the fight seemed so trivial to her. "I swear to you, I held nothing back this morning. I had no reason to. As for why I am with them, it is typical for a sanseki to be with her captain and vice captain if I recall correctly."

"Sure," she answered. "Neh, Hachi… these the two prowlers ya caught this morning?"

"You…" Renji growled.

"Be silent," Haru ordered, whirling to face him. "You will only make matters worse if you open that big mouth of yours."

"Ya got some explainin' to do, Haru." She hadn't even noticed that Hiyori had crossed the grass to retrieve her sword. "From what I remember, ya told me ya left the sixth division before ya left, so why're these two here if that's true?"

"They were merely concerned for my wellbeing. I can assure you, they meant no harm, and I therefore apologize for their intrusion. They only came here because of me."

"But there isn't a trace of reiatsu that can get through Hachi's barriers," Love noted. "So, how did they know you were here?" Haru had no answer for his question, hypothetical or otherwise, so she was forced to remain silent while she tried to untangle one from her buzzing thoughts.

"I knew Haru-kun was here."

"So, ya aren't mute, after all?" Hiyori commented. Byakuya rested a hand on his sword and sharpened his glare.

"It makes no sense that he could detect Haru through the barrier," Kensei murmured, ignoring Mashiro's incessant whining.

"I detected nothing."

"Then how did ya know she was here?"

"I just knew."

"Don't get cocky."

"I would not dream of it," Byakuya responded, moving to draw his sword. Suddenly, a hand was on top of his, preventing him from pulling even a centimeter of the blade out of its sheath. He peered to the source of the hand, gazed into Haru's eyes, and watched as she nodded her head. His grip relaxed, but she kept her hand pressed against his own. The askance in her eyes changed, and Byakuya vainly tried to derive meaning from it.

"I must ask that you not provoke them," Haru answered.

"Defendin' them so readily? Just what are they to ya?" She paused as she tried to gather some form of an answer. By all logical reasoning, they should not have meant that much to her, either of them, especially since she had severed ties with the sixth division, but they still felt in some sense like her companions, her brothers in arms. As for Byakuya… well, that was something she certainly lacked both the time and the patience to explain. "Never mind, then… I've got ways of makin' ya answer."

"Hiyori-san, I'm begging you not to do this."

"Nani? Ya didn't think I'd notice?" She pointed to Haru's zanpakutoh, and as soon as her eyes fell on the blade, she realized that Suzaku had been released when she drew. "That's twice now you've yanked that thing out of the sheath and released it without callin' its name. Yer smart enough to know what that means." At the realization, Haru's face grew pale, and she silently cursed her lack of caution. "Well, ya'd better prepare yerself. If you ain't talking, then I'll just beat the answers out of ya." She positioned her hand above her forehead and smiled at the horror that spread across their visitors' faces. Haru caught herself taking a step back. She still had the sheath in one hand and her sword in the other. She dared to take her eyes off of her opponent for a moment, peering first at the contents of her left hand, then at her right. Only after glancing at the ground did she see the shadows of Renji and Byakuya stretching out from behind her. Time slowed long enough for Byakuya's words to echo in her mind.

"Next time, I expect you to recognize the right moment, unless you want to risk having others pay for your hesitance with their blood." The knowledge flashed through her eyes, and without another moment's notice, she slammed her sword into its sheath hard enough to shatter the guard.

"To hell with it," she retorted, removing her glasses and the restraint in her hair. Without aiming, she tossed them, and Byakuya held out his hands to catch them. Her reiatsu stilled in the very same moment the mask was finished forming.

"If ya've got half a mind, you'll redraw that sword."

"I will do as I please," she responded calmly. "Just don't cry when my pride incinerates you." Hiyori scoffed and pulled the mask over her face, sending an intense pulse of reiatsu through the air.

"What the hell is going on?" Renji demanded. "What's with that reiatsu?" The same question burned through Byakuya's mind, but he was given no chance to voice it. He watched as the creature that girl had become flashed forward and raised her sword.

_Move, _he silently pleaded. _Move. _Haru positioned her sword so it was horizontal. Only then did he notice the alteration. The entire thing, from sheath to ribbon, had turned ebony. Her reiatsu shifted violently, and Hiyori paused in mid-swing.

"I will show you, then, since you wish to see it… the true magnitude of my pride." A white haze crept across Haru's eyes as she cried the word loud enough for the world itself to hear and with a level of confidence that seemed to freeze time itself. "Bankai!" The shift in her reiatsu rivaled Hiyori's, and just as the vizard completed her swing, her blade came into contact with an extension of the white haze that burned around Haru's figure. She felt herself shoved away by the solid portion of haze, and her feet slid across the ground, coming to a stop just as the haze scattered into ashes and faded away. There stood before her a girl all in white holding a weapon that had doubled in length. Around its middle was an ebony ribbon, and on either side of that ribbon was a slightly curved blade. A silvery halo remained around her. "Tenraihoshi Suzaku." Haru ignored the general bewilderment of her spectators. She felt Byakuya's curious gaze burning into her back and faintly heard Renji's expletives as he demanded to know what the hell she was holding in her hands. She shifted the weapon until she was holding it as she would a normal sword, with both hands wrapped around its middle. Her eyes raced over her spectators, then moved to Hiyori.

The gaze alone, full of a pure, unadulterated determination, goaded Hiyori into attacking again, but Haru simply adjusted the angle of her weapon, shoved the vizard back, and retook her stance as if nothing had ever happened. "Ain't nothin' gonna be decided if ya just stand there."

"If I move, you must swear that you will not attack them again." To emphasize who she meant, she nodded her head backwards. "And that goes for your companions as well. I will not jeopardize their wellbeing and freedom only to defend my own pride."

"Fine, fine… ya have my word." Haru let her arm drop, the weapon hanging at her side. She hesitated for another instant, then flashed out of view. The thought of her speed crossed Hiyori's mind, but it was soon displaced by the sound of metal on metal. The force of Haru's swing was enough to throw her back. She left no time for a counterattack but moved forward again and slammed her blade against Hiyori's.

"Do you know why this weapon came into being?" Hiyori shoved Haru away and cut straight downwards, but Haru flashed out of view. "It is because of you and Shinji-san," she continued, changing the angle again to block the strike that was intended to remove her head. "You see, the night Urahara-sensei explained your history to me, I was haunted by the constant anxiety that this process could work in reverse. I knew shikai wasn't enough to beat an espada, though I didn't know they were espada at the time, and I certainly knew it wasn't enough to beat Aizen. That was when Suzaku asked me if I wanted a power beyond what I already possessed, and that was when I agreed to it. In that moment, as I sank into a dream, this weapon came into being."

"Then is this how ya beat Ichigo?" Haru smiled as Hiyori disengaged and began swinging her sword with an incredible speed. Each strike was blocked by one of equal alacrity. By turning her blade any number of degrees in any direction, Haru blocked each and every blow as if it were as normal as breathing. "Kuso… yer startin' to frustrate me. Come on… show me what this thing can really do!" Hiyori's hand drew back, and she fired a cero. Haru implemented the same hold she used on her sword. Instead of dodging the blow and leaving it to chance that no one was hit, she severed it with her blade. The two halves dissipated and eventually broke down altogether. Before Hiyori could begin to question the attack, Haru raced forward again. Then the exchange of blows began, one that neither the shinigami nor the vizard were entirely capable of following. Haru would seem to be giving a little distance when suddenly, Hiyori would pause for a moment too long and be shoved away.

Hiyori thrust a foot at Haru's stomach only to have it blocked by her bankai, and she followed up with a cut that just narrowly missed the side of her opponent's face face. The next thing she knew, she was thrown off balance by Haru's foot wrapping around her ankle. Hiyori launched herself backwards, pushing off the ground with her hand and sliding to a stop. By then, Haru had flashed forward. She took enough time to shoot Hiyori a look of caution, then swung downward. Hiyori blocked the strike and shoved Haru away, swinging again just fast enough to catch her temple. _Kuso… I can't keep fighting like this. My endurance is failing, and quickly… if only Soutaichou-sama had let me go through with half… _Her line of thought was disrupted as she subconsciously threw herself backwards, missing another near encounter with Hiyori's sword. She glanced at Byakuya for a moment to find him staring at her, fascinated and transfixed by the speed or power… or maybe even the drastic alteration of her attire. Their eyes met briefly as she spun back towards her opponent. _At the same time, I cannot merely let her win. _Haru's feet slid across the grass. She shoved Hiyori's blade away and knocked her off balance. _I must wait for an opening…_

She realized another blast of cero was coming at her. This time, she let her weapon hang freely and raised her left hand, inhaling deeply before opening her eyes. No trace of a spell ever left her lips. She simply spoke the kidou's name to summon it. "Soukatsui." The force of the collision was enough to make Byakuya question whether or not the magnitude of Haru's kidou surpassed his own. He shielded his eyes as a cloud of dust moved his way, but it never reached him. Puzzled, he glanced to her strange associates, one of which had erected a barrier of some sort.

"This should withstand any cero Hiyori can fire," he notified his companions. "As for Haru's kidou… well, one can only hope." Despite the haze around her, Haru sensed the barrier and sighed with relief. Though she couldn't see anything in front of her, she could feel Hiyori moving around and disrupting the reishi.

_I can't take much more of this abuse, _Haru thought wryly. _I need to end it now._

_Haru-sama, _her zanpakutoh murmured. _Can you really use the higher forms with your reiatsu so limited?_

_I must try, _she answered. _Besides, what is the worst that can happen? If I fail, I can try something else._

_What if your reiatsu backfires? The strain on your limiter may break it, and if that happens, then you may…_

_I will stabilize my reiatsu at its current output, _she informed her zanpakutoh. _There is no room for error, so please have faith in my abilities._

_Hai, Haru-sama. _She took one deep breath and let her eyes fall shut. They would do her no good if they were opened, anyway. The hold on her weapon changed so it was perpendicular to the ground and to her extended left arm. As her right drew slowly back she felt a tension against her fingers. A thin wire sliced into their tips, causing her to wince once, but her focus never faltered. Haru detected movement, and her eyes shot open.

"There," she said, aiming for a shadow above the ground that had launched itself towards her. "Saishou agatta youshi: tsuinohi." She relinquished her grip on the string, and two luminous objects disappeared into the dust. Above the melodic twang, she heard the distinct shattering of a mask, a slight exclamation of defeat, then the equally clear sound of her attack striking a sword. With one shift of her reiatsu, she dispersed the dust from her position outwards just in time to see Hiyori slide across the ground. A moment later, her sword joined her, giving off a mournful note as it tumbled across the grass. Her feet remained rigidly up in the air for a moment, but she soon gave up and let the collapse, sprawling out on the grass as she pieced together the attack that had defeated her. Growling with determination, Hiyori forced herself to sit up, peering at Haru with one open eye. Something had cut Hiyori's forehead, and blood was running around her nose like crimson tears. Her vision blurred, and she could no more see straight than she could speak, so she collapsed again.

Hirako whistled sharply and surveyed the scene, walking forward as the barrier dissipated. "Well, ain't you somethin'." Haru's hand dropped, and she turned to him, changing her hold so the weapon was parallel to the ground and wrapping both hands around it. Reminiscence flickered through Byakuya's eyes as he recalled her early days in Soul Society. That was the same way she had carried her sword when they had first met. "It's been over a hundred years since I left Soul Society, and not once have I seen Hiyori so totally defeated." He touched Haru's shoulder as he passed, and her eyes followed him as he strode calmly to Hiyori, crouching down at her side with a grimace on his face. "Oy, ya dead?" His position and posture were such that he could not dodge the foot that planted itself in the middle of his face. Just like that, she was up.

"Dumb ass! Of course I'm not dead!"

"Well, ya didn't have to kick me for it!"

"Well, I couldn't exactly avoid it with that ugly mug of yers so damn close."

"Well, ya can't be feelin' too bad if yer well enough to insult me." He rose and shrugged off his strike, but the same foot soon shot against his ankle, skewing his balance and making him fall. "Oy, what gives?"

"Don't ya know yer supposed to help a lady up, dumb-ass?" Her eyes wandered to Haru, who stood staring at the scene with a wild amusement flickering across her gaze and a smile on her face. "Baka! What the hell're you smilin' at?"

"Betsuni, betsuni," she responded.

"Then wipe that damn grin off yer face if ya ain't got nothin' to smile about! Oy, quit yer laughin' too! It's pissin' me off!"

"Sumimasen," Haru answered, restraining herself. "It really does amaze me that even after nearly getting your skull cracked open, you still have enough energy to insult people."

"Why don't ya come over here and say that? I'll show ya how to crack a skull," she retorted, erecting her middle finger and sticking her tongue out. Haru shook her head and turned away. "Oy, where the hell're you goin'? Ya got a shit ton of explainin' to do before I let ya leave!"

"I would like to see you try to stop me in your condition. I could always shoot you again," she retorted, raising her weapon, spinning it thoughtfully for a moment. "Then again, if I inadvertently killed you, then I wouldn't have any reason to come back, would I?" The blade abruptly stopped whirling through the air, and with one decisive motion, she pulled the square hoop free from the cross on her wrist, and the weapon crumbled to nothing. A moment later, it reassembled itself, hanging from the same hoop of metal she still had hanging of her bleeding right index finger. As it did so, her uniform faded to black, and the distance between her and the vizard closed. Haru folded her hands around her sword and bowed her head. "As always, it has been an honor. Please take care of yourselves."

"Haru-chan," Mashiro whined, bolting forward and throwing her arms around the bewildered girl. "Where're you going, neh?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I have some things I must see to." She glanced to Byakuya as she spoke. The moment their eyes met, his shot away, and he pretended to be wrapped up in examining something else entirely.

"But when will you be back?"

"Who knows?" she responded. "This business in Tokyo could take a little longer than I would like." Some dark and secretive wove its way through her sentence, causing the vizard to shrink away and dart behind Kensei. "Promise you won't provoke him too much, Mashiro-chan." Before anyone could answer, she had flashed out of view and reappeared beside the two shinigami. Renji actually stepped back because he wasn't sure what to expect, but Byakuya remained where he was, keeping his gaze anywhere but on hers. He glanced to the hand that was extended, noticed the blood on her fingertips, and glanced away again. "Come on. Give them back." He glanced at her hand again and noticed the set of thin lacerations across her index, middle, and ring fingers. Then, decisively, his right shot out to capture her own.

"After you explain yourself, Haru-kun."

"M… matte, Byakuya-sama…" Her objections continued as he began walking forward. Renji shrugged his shoulders, having grown used to such things, and followed faithfully at their heels.

"Oy," he continued, this time addressing Byakuya. "You'd better not break her heart, else you'll be answerin' to me. Ya got that?" Byakuya simply passed him a glare and continued walking. There was no need to answer the question. The simple fact was that he could never break Haru because doing so would also mean inflicting untold amounts of pain on himself.

* * *

Whew… that was a fun chapter to write. I hope that you readers derived some amount of enjoyment from it. Of course, no chapter would be complete without the infamous Japanese lesson!

Urusai: Shut up

Sumimasen: An apology

Hai: Yes

Nande: Why

Gomen: Another apology

Iie: No

Gomenasai: A formal apology

Souka: I see

Demo: But

Matte: Wait

Ano: Japanese equivalent of "um"

Baka kodomo: Stupid kid

Nani: What

Kuso: What chapter would be complete without a Japanese swear word?

Betsuni: Nothing

A note on saishou agatta youshi: Wow… it has been forever since I've had to footnote anything… surprise, surprise… I haven't posted much lately. Anyway, the translation of that there text, according to babelfish (which, as we all know, is unreliable as hell) is first risen form. Named tsuinohi (twin fire), the attack involves shooting two projectiles at the enemy. I will leave the explanation for the next chapter, as Haru does a pretty damn good job of it.

I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter and Japanese lesson/footnote of the year! (Or the first, depending on where you are). I promise to post another soon! Thank you again for all your wonderful feedback and your patience with my lagging. And now, away to the new year~


	14. Chapter 14:Honesty

A/N: Ohayocon! Ohayocon! Ohayocon! That's where I'm going to be for the next four nights and three days! I will be back among my own kind, away from those who ridicule my hobby! I am so excited!!! That aside, I thought I should upload a chapter before I left, beings I have plenty as back-ups. Unfortunately, this A/N will not be epically long because I have packing and cooking to do (because, let's face it, I'm not the kind of Otaku who can subsist on nothing but pretzels and peanut butter for four days), but I do have to send the customary shout-out to people who reviewed: yuzuki0429, kudokuchan69, Hikara-Hime (times 3, because she reviewed chapters 11, 12, and 13 within a couple of hours… ^^), CRdragonPyro, and Ray-nee-chan. All my readers are awesome, but you five are exceptionally so because you took a moment to review! Hugs to all! ^^ And without further ado, here is the luminous chapter 14! We're over halfway to the end, so I hope you like it~

* * *

_Chapter 14: Honesty_

"Yare, yare… this certainly is a surprise."

"Yeah, well…" Ishida retorted. He glanced at the pair sitting across the table, trying to decide which one he would rather be stuck on an island with. The one he had punched that morning looked gloomy and overwrought, whereas the other kept shooting him glares across the table as if she meant to repay the injury. After a moment of scrutiny, he decided his efforts were useless and cleared his throat. "You have to understand my resentment. I'm a quincy. It is only natural that I hate shinigami. And besides, I was in a hurry this morning. You shouldn't have held me up, but it was wrong of me to hit you, so I apologize." Takumi's eyes moved across the table, flickering thoughtfully.

"I don't really give a damn about your resentment towards me. It's your resentment towards her that I'm worried about."

"Nani?" Ishida stammered.

"You're supposed to be her brother, aren't you? Yet you anger over something so trivial… it's pointless."

"Aren't siblings supposed to get mad at one another?"

"Yeah, I can tell you that first hand, but it's not supposed to be like this. You aren't supposed to get all selfish and say she should be thinking of you. Of course," he continued, leaning his cheek against his hand and propping an elbow on the table, "I'm sure she thinks plenty of you. You've known her for years now." He smirked slightly as he shifted his weight and closed his eyes. "Tell me something. This morning, you sounded pretty jealous, and I've got this nagging suspicion that that punch wasn't for me."

"You should forget about it."

"Not likely," Takumi answered. "See, I may not look like much, but I've got this gift, see… I can read people almost as well as taichou can read books. The gods only know where I picked it up. Maybe it was something my old man passed down to me. And because of that…" He paused for a moment and peered at Ishida with one eye. "I can't shake this feelin' that I wasn't the one you were really hitting this morning." His smirk broke into a full smile, and he sat up to examine the full magnitude of Ishida's shock. "I'm right."

"Y… you aren't!"

"Yeah, I am, and if I'm not mistaken, there's only one person you'd want to hit that hard, but you can't, because if you ever touched him, she wouldn't just shrug it off and apologize to him for your idiocy."

"Takumi!" Hinamori stammered.

"I won't apologize, and I won't take it back," he answered, crossing his arms. "If being right's a crime, then I plead guilty. Besides, I'm not the one who's running from it." His crystal blue eyes shot across the table and pierced Ishida with enough force to make his breath hitch. "You want forgiveness? Then apologize to her. Don't come to me and try clearing your conscience." Casually, Takumi rose to his feet and stretched, shaking his head to regain his focus. Then, he sauntered towards the door. Unfortunately, he was stopped by Ishida, who leapt to his feet and took a swing in his general direction. He caught the fist without even turning his head, smiling darkly and raising an angelic gaze full of hellfire. "Do you really want me to kick your ass that badly?" He scoffed and pushed the quincy away, just hard enough to get his message across. "Seeing her cry's too big a price to pay, so sorry, but you won't get your fight here." Hinamori noticed his hand was shaking as it pulled the door open, but she made no motion to follow him. She simply watched him depart without speaking another word.

"That sorry son of a—"

"Now, now, Ishida-san, you're in the presence of a lady," Urahara stated, pointing his fan towards Hinamori. "To be honest, I don't really see why you're frustrated, either."

"She's shirking her responsibilities to the Yamashita clan, saying she isn't going to take the head."

"And why should that bother you?" Hinamori glanced towards the door and noticed that it hadn't quite closed all the way. A blue eye peered in, curious and hungry for answers.

"Why? I'll tell you why." He slammed his fist against the table in frustration and gritted his teeth as he tried to tame his fury. "Ever since she was young, she has reiterated to me countless times how much she despises them for cheating her mother, for cheating her, for hating them both beyond measure. I can't say I blame her. I've seen the things they can do to people, both through studying the clan's history and by witnessing their atrocities firsthand. They're cunning and ruthless, some of them, and so self-centered that they would rather walk into the hole than just going around it."

"Then why should it bother you that taichou has no desire to lead such people?"

"Don't you get it?" Ishida demanded, bowing his head as his fist started to tremble. "It's not for my sake that I want her to be head of her family. If she doesn't do it… if she doesn't do it, then nothing will change!" Hinamori glanced up again to see that the eye had grown wider. "They'll just keep on doing horrible things to people and cheating the world. In order for anything drastic to happen, Haru-sama has to become the nineteenth heir." Takumi sighed heavily at Ishida's words and considered them.

"But isn't there a chance she could become another one of their pawns? Isn't there a chance that she could start using the same devices without restraint?" Urahara inquired.

"I know she won't. Haru-sama isn't like that. If there's one thing she hates more than an insult to her pride, it's a lie. She hates being lied to more than anything in this world, even more than she hates Aizen for killing her parents. So… and so… she has to do it. She is that family's redemption. The power is vested in her and her alone." Takumi shifted his eyes again, quivering slightly as guilt's fingers worked across his skin, but his sentiments were scattered by a hand slamming against the doorframe. Startled, he threw the door open and staggered backwards, his heart racing a mile a minute.

"Jeez, Takumi, you're jumpier than hell. You see a ghost or something?" He shook his head in reply. "Oy, what's the matter?"

"I'm just used to seeing you in uniform," he murmured, peering back to Hinamori, who smiled and waved to Renji. The redhead's face suddenly grew serious, and he rubbed the back of it as he tried to come up with something to say.

"Well, since I suck so much at usin' words, I'll just say I'm glad to see you up and moving, Hinamori."

"Arigato, Abarai-san," she responded. He glanced from her to Takumi with slight bewilderment.

"You here with this guy?"

"It's nothing," Takumi retorted, pushing his way out of the room. He paused for a moment in its frame, then turned back to Ishida. "You're right to want change, but still… if it means she suffers for your wishes, are you really willing to pursue them?" He stared blankly at the shinigami for a moment. "Just think about it. That's all I'm asking."

"Something must be wrong, then," Renji stated, watching as the young man wandered down the hallway as if possessed. He shut the door behind him and took a seat across from Hinamori. "Takumi's not one to speak so seriously, at least not without reason."

"Why are you here, Abarai-san?" Ishida said suddenly.

"What? Haru didn't tell ya?"

"Actually, he got here a little while after taichou left, and before she did leave, the only one she spoke to was Urahara-san."

"So, she didn't say a word." Renji bent his head and smiled. "That's just like her, being all secretive."

"Why? Do you know something?" Ishida inquired.

"Only that taichou is the one who insisted we drop by for a visit, so I've got to stay here with Urahara-san tonight."

"Byakuya-san is here?"

"Yeah. I think he said something about a hotel room or somethin'. At any rate, he refused to stay here, and he objected to Haru staying, too."

"Nani?" Ishida demanded, leaping up with incredible speed and grabbing the collar of Renji's shirt. "Where are they staying?"

"I don't know."

"You'd better answer me, or I swear to the gods, I'll knock that grin straight off your face!"

"Heh," Renji responded. "I think I like this side of you, Ishida. You're getting all worked up and threatening me when I wasn't even the one who let her go."

"Urahara-san!" He quickly turned to the ex-captain, who laughed quietly behind his fan at the pandemonium playing out before his eyes. "Tell me where they are!"

"I don't know," Urahara responded in a voice so genuine that Ishida couldn't help but believe it.

"Nani?"

"I said I didn't know," he answered, folding his fan and peering at the flustered quincy with smoky eyes. "If I did, I would've told you by now just to stop you from making a fool of yourself."

"How could you just let them walk off together? Do you have any idea of what you've done?"

"Of course I do."

"Don't sound so happy about it!" he shouted. Hinamori looked to her folded hands and closed them tighter, wringing them as if slightly unnerved. "This is outrageous. You're supposed to be her sensei, which means you're supposed to protect her."

"There's nothing to protect her from," Renji retorted, stretching casually. "Taichou wouldn't do anything against her will. I know his propriety's just about as near and dear to him as she is, so I'm pretty sure his intentions ain't anything like what you're thinking." Urahara's eyes became serious. They shone out from beneath the brim of his hat, slowly disappearing from sight as he shut them with a sigh.

"I couldn't stop her even if I wanted to. She gave me an order. I'm bound by her will," he answered.

"You could have at least deterred her!"

"There was no point," he murmured. "She said she loved him." Silence followed as the magnitude of those words settled in. Ishida's eyes glinted in a somewhat contemptuous way.

"She's too young to…"

"She was serious," Hinamori interrupted, wringing her hands again. "She… said something like that to me once, but in a roundabout way. If she was direct with you, Urahara-san, then I believe that demonstrates the magnitude of her feelings." They sat in silence for a moment, each watching Ishida struggle to accept the revelation. Its weight crushed him like a ton of bricks, and he coughed once as it arrested his ability to breathe. Then, calmly, he pushed his glasses up his nose. "Ishida-san…"

"She has chosen her own path," he stated as he walked away. "Who am I to stop her?" The quincy departed without speaking again, leaving nothing but an unnerving and heavy silence behind him.

"Perhaps I shouldn't have said anything."

"Iie," Urahara reassured his guest. "You were justified in saying so. He has a lesson to learn. Haru-sama is not bound by society in the same sense that the rest of us are despite her nobility and her impending promotion to captain. Most of us allow ourselves to become shackled while deluding ourselves into thinking we are free, but Haru-sama… she is not blind to those chains, and she will do everything in her power to make sure she never becomes bound by them. An admirable effort…" He flipped his fan open and grinned. "But still so utterly troublesome."

* * *

Haru stood by the window and vacantly watched the cars below. She held the curtain back with one hand, following the headlights with her eyes as they cut through the dark. Her shoulder was still sore, and the sting of Hiyori's blade lingered on her cheek, but for some reason, they didn't feel real. In fact, the whole day felt like one displacement of reality after another. She watched another car and pressed her left hand against the glass, listening as the cross gently struck the barrier between her and the world below. As she sighed, her breath turned to fog and crept across the window's surface. Then, there was motion behind her. A shadow crossed her light and crept towards her, stopping when it was directly at her back. She waited for him to touch her, but he never did. "Look at me," he demanded in a soft tone.

"But it's too strange, seeing you in a gigai." Despite her denial, Haru obeyed his request and smiled faintly at the peculiar look on his face. Every symbol of his regality had been concealed. His raven hair was pulled back in a simple pony tail, and in place of his shihakusho were a collared shirt and a pair of jeans. "I don't think I've ever seen you look so normal in my entire life." He smiled at the compliment and pulled back the curtain again, studying the street below with mild interest. "Do you… enjoy the view, Byakuya-sama?"

"If I didn't, then would I be looking?" An ungloved hand pressed against her cheek, and she leaned contentedly against it. Unsteadily, her fingers curled around his wrist while she peered at him through the haze of fog that had alighted on her glasses. Byakuya let the drapes slide through his fingers and lifted the glasses off of her eyes.

"You really are something else, marching in here and throwing that wad of bills on the counter. How much did you give them?"

"Enough to keep them quiet," Byakuya responded, setting the glasses on a nearby table and drawing away. "I asked them to place two fake names in the registry. They were very understanding of my request."

"I imagine so, considering you demanded the most expensive room in the hotel and added the name 'Yamashita' to the end of your sentence."

"I would have used my name, but this is not my sphere of influence."

"Making me explain everything to them…"

"You did not seem to mind it so much." Byakuya crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed, folding his hands and examining the carpet beneath his feet. Haru remained by the window, gazing at him expectantly. "Haru-kun, earlier today, you made me an offer I could not refuse. I expect that you are still willing to fulfill it?"

"My decision has not changed. I place myself entirely in your hands, Byakuya-sama." She bowed her head momentarily and stepped forward, lifting her glasses from the table and then dropping her arms to her sides. "As I promised earlier today, I will answer any three questions you have for me in as much detail as will sate your curiosity. Have you come up with your first?"

"I have."

"Then ask it."

"First, who are those people, and what is your relationship with them?"

"I had a feeling you would ask something like that." Haru answered, smiling faintly. "You must swear to never mention this to anyone else. If Shinji-san ever found out I told you, he would probably kill me."

"Your secret is safe," he reassured her. Haru nodded in ascent and rested her glasses on the bridge of her nose, pushing them up thoughtfully.

"They are the vizard, a group of shinigami who have gained hollow powers through Aizen's debauchery. He implemented a process discovered by Urahara-sensei called hollowfication. Sensei never once intended to use it, but the enemy utilized this as a weapon against him. Not only did he ruin the lives of nine captains and vice captains, but he also manipulated Soul Society into believing that my sensei was the one responsible for those atrocities." She paused when she saw Byakuya's expression, a mixture of disbelief and curiosity. "It is much different than the history you are familiar with, I imagine, but I promise you, the words I speak are true. Sensei had nothing to do with it. In fact, he even tried to reverse the process using the hougyoku, but without avail. He was arrested later that morning with the Kidou Corps captain, Tessai Tsukabishi, for a number of charges. He was sentenced to exile after undergoing a process to drain him of all his spiritual powers, but at the last moment, a mysterious interloper interfered."

"Shihouin Yoruichi."

"You are more knowledgeable on the matter than I first thought. Anyway, the rest is history. They wound up here in Karakura Town, and as far as I know, they have been here ever since waiting for the day when they can be of some use to those who turned them away."

"Then they are not resentful?" Haru peered at him for a moment. Sighing, she leaned against the table near the window and pushed the glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"Of course they are, but they aren't letting that stand in the way of doing what's right. They despise the shinigami for betraying them, and for a reason which they have no hand in no less. They were merely unfortunate tools in the grand scheme of things, and for their misfortune, they must pay with a lifetime of anguish and isolation." Haru pressed her left hand to her chest. "I only hope the same thing does not happen to me."

"I would not let it," Byakuya said firmly, rising from the bed and striding to her. He suddenly felt the need to be closer to her. She disrupted his plans before he could even complete them, grabbing his arm and gently tugging him towards the bed. He allowed himself to be led and took up his original position on its edge. When he felt Haru's weight next to him, he wrapped his arm around her and gently pushed her head against his shoulder. Byakuya drew a breath at the contact, relishing his own contentment with the way things were in that moment, but his curiosity soon ravished his placidity. "You still have not told me how you are acquainted with them."

"You will not like the answer I provide you with."

"Nothing you say will make me hate you, Haru-kun." Byakuya leaned slightly, inhaling the fragrant scent of her hair and placing a light kiss on the top of her head. "Besides, you did say you would explain it to an extent that satisfied my curiosity."

"Very well," she answered. Haru found his other hand and worked her fingers between his. "Up until I was ten years old, I knew nothing of their existence, and they contented themselves with being only vaguely acquainted with mine. Still, we were bound for an encounter sooner or later." Haru sighed and fell away from his grasp, sprawling out on the bed and staring at the ceiling. Difficult as it was, Byakuya exercised restraint and simply turned to gaze at her. His eyes took in the nutmeg locks, all tied together and heaped out behind her. The two that normally surrounded her face gracefully wavered over her shoulders. Her gaze lurked behind her glasses, the rims of which shone with the light they caught from the lamps. Her jacket had slid off of her shoulders, revealing the sleeveless nature of her garnet-colored turtleneck. "It happened in September. I was coming back from school, and I was about to greet Urahara-sensei, but when I opened the door, I saw someone strange sitting in there. It is in my nature to distrust people, and so I sat near the door with it open just far enough to hear their conversation."

"What were they saying?"

"I don't remember. I just recall that, when I heard movement, I stood up and started darting off, but I wound up getting tangled up in my own feet. Shinji-san caught me before I hit the ground, so I wasn't seriously hurt. Still, I kicked him for his trouble and tried to scamper off before he could say more than three words. When he reached for me again, I actually pushed my soul out of my body and tried cracking his skull open. The lucky bastard caught the sword before it reached its target. It took some reassurance from Sensei, but I eventually came to accept his presence. I was startled to learn that I was the reason he had come in the first place. Apparently, Urahara-sensei had told him about my peculiar heritage." A smile spread across her face as the warmth of the memory spread through her body. "So, to answer your original question, we began as acquaintances, but the vizard soon became much more than that. They became the family I never had."

"So, they are much like your brother in a sense."

"You could say that," Haru answered, "though I think in their case, they chose me, whereas in Ishi-nii's case, I chose him."

"Have you fought with them before today?"

"I began sparring with Shinji-san and the others after I moved out. I never did beat them, even when they took it easy on me." She smiled again and tilted her head, parting her lips to release a breath. "I probably would not have won today had you not been there."

"Why would my presence affect your victory?"

"Because I didn't want to disappoint you," she answered, sitting up and glancing to her feet as she moved them back and forth. "Gomenasai… I know it seems foolish, demo…" Haru turned to Byakuya as she felt his weight leave the bed. She couldn't even process the very next moment, when he cupped her face gently in his hands and silenced her lips with his own. Even in the gigai, he was capable of making her tremble. Detecting the motion in her shoulders, Byakuya drew away and silently asked her if he had done anything wrong, but the smile on her face displaced his concerns. "Are you satisfied?"

"I still have two more questions."

"This is true," Haru answered, watching as he took a lock of her hair between his fingers. Thoughtfully, he worked it, trying to memorize its texture, its color, and every other aspect imaginable. His hand stopped just as quickly, and a thought raced through his sapphire eyes.

"Your bankai," he stated. All traces of the smile on her face vanished. "Will you explain its abilities to me?"

"If you insist."

"You do not sound very happy about it."

"Because it is a difficult thing to explain," Haru replied. "Still, for you, I will try." Byakuya's expression never changed, but something flashed in his eyes, a light or shadow that was not there before. He suddenly pulled her to her feet and pulled her to him, drawing a light cry of surprise from his lungs. Then, just as swiftly, he whirled around and threw himself on the bed, coughing lightly as Haru's weight pressed against him. He locked his eyes on the ceiling and trapped her frame within his embrace before she could even think to escape. They drifted shut, and he relished the feel of her heart racing next to his own.

"Bya… Byakuya-sama…"

"Nandesuka?"

"Isn't this… a little too close?"

"I thought it would ease your explanation if you were closer to me," he answered.

"How astute of you." Haru shifted slightly, causing his breath to hitch. She slid out of his embrace and knelt above him, resting her hands on either side of his shoulders. "But your eyes are one of my favorite things about you. When I look into them, I sometimes feel like I'm that much closer to your soul." A piece of her hair brushed against his face as she lowered herself again, tucking her forehead under his chin and curling up slightly. Byakuya draped is arms loosely over her frame and sighed. As she spoke, he detected a note of difficulty in her voice, one so pitiful that he almost stopped her. Only one thing deterred him: not his own burning curiosity, but the apparent relief her dialogue provided her with. "It is named Tenraihoshi Suzaku, and like my shikai form, it possesses the capabilities to emit the three forms, plus the initial form if need be. The four forms you are familiar with remain bound to the blade itself."

"You speak of them as if there is something beyond the sword."

"Sword?" she echoed, emitting a slight laugh and adjusting her position so she was propped upon his chest, gazing thoughtfully into his eyes. "That weapon is not a sword, or did you ignore the fact that I threatened to shoot Hiyori-san again?" A moment passed, and then the shock on his face became evident. "That's right. Tenraihoshi Suzaku is not a sword at all."

"But… how…"

"Do I need to explain this again?" she retorted, propping herself up on his chest and peering at his hazy eyes. "When a man and a woman love each other very much, they…"

"Not that," he retorted, turning his head to hide the faint red tint in his cheeks. "It makes no sense to me, that a zanpakutoh can become something other than a zanpakutoh."

"Suzaku is unique among zanpakutoh. You know this already. Her origins are significantly different than most. She was born in a moment of rage and thirst for revenge from the only remaining piece of the Yamashita clan's immense spiritual power. As such, it is only natural for my zanpakutoh to bear some semblance to quincy weaponry. In its unreleased state, Suzaku bears remarkable similarities to an advanced quincy apparatus called a Seele Schneider. It is the only piece of weaponry they possess that looks and functions anything like a sword. In shikai, it shifts to a more typical zanpakutoh, taking on the qualities of a katana and attaining three forms, not counting the initial form. But in bankai…" Haru paused and lowered her head to his chest. "In bankai, its properties shift again."

"Does that shift begin when you return your shikai to its sheath without sealing it?"

"You seem to know about this yourself." She sounded pleased with his knowledge, but it was difficult to tell because he currently couldn't see her eyes. "Would you care to elaborate more?"

"I know nothing else save that your reiatsu drastically drops."

"There is a reason for that." Haru paused in her relation to shift her position again. This time, Byakuya hissed and tensed beneath her, drawing a faint apology from her lips.

"It… it is fine. Just warn me next time," he answered. "Would you care to explain the reason?"

"That is simple. If I did not seal my own reiatsu prior to releasing bankai, then my body would be ripped apart by the violent shifts that would otherwise occur." Haru gave a slight gasp as his hold on her tightened. His hands gave the slightest quiver, and because they rested against her back, she clutched the folds of his shirt and gave a strained gasp.

"Well," he murmured, half sitting up to peer at her, "you certainly are sensitive tonight." In return for his comment and amused smirk, Byakuya received an elbow to the ribs, which made him collapse again with a slight cough. "What was that for?"

"We're getting off topic. You need to stay focused so I can do so as well… otherwise, you are telling me you are satisfied with my explanation."

"Far from it. You still have not explained the rest of the release, and that strange form…"

"I expected no less from you," Haru stated. "Very well. I will explain to you the essence of my bankai." A gentle sigh struck his chest, and Haru propped herself up again. He drew another swift breath, not because it was uncomfortable, but because he noted just how alluring she looked at the moment. Her violet eyes drifted one way, then the other, and then, they returned to him, a haze of intrigue. "The three lower forms, those that I use during shikai, and the initial form I can use before releasing, are all connected to the blade. I must swing the blade in some manner or point it in a certain way in order to initiate these forms. You are already familiar with them. When I sheathe the shikai form of Suzaku, I simultaneously seal my own reiatsu. Because of the build-up of power within the blade, the guard shatters, and the entire structure turns black. After that..." Haru paused for a moment, stretching herself out and pressing her mouth to his ear. "After that, things get very interesting."

"But you are interesting even when you are not wielding your bankai."

"By your standards, perhaps," she murmured against it, pulling away to look at him and continuing in a normal volume. "Once the change begins, the ribbon tied to the hoop that tops the hilt begins to capture a number of spirit particles. The hoop itself eventually breaks away and rematerializes here." Haru lifted the broken cross on her arm and indicated the place where the two bars met, the place where a hoop-like apparatus should have hung anyway. "As that happens, my uniform turns fully white, which ends the transformation and leaves me with a lethal product."

"Yet you say this product is not a sword."

"It isn't," Haru answered, "but as you have seen, I can wield it much like I can my shikai. It is twice as long, and a slight increase in curvature makes it capable of a wide range of attacks. Only the wrapped portion is not a blade. You have noticed I constantly keep my hands there when using it as I use a sword. I can cut things with both sides, so I do not have to pull back once I have made one strike. I can simply adjust the angle of the blade and make another cut. It is a weapon of symmetry and balance, one that can block, defend, and counterattack close-range strikes."

"But you said it was not a sword. Why do you choose to wield it like one?" Haru pulled back and blinked, unsure of how to answer the question.

"Because Suzaku has an ability no other zanpakutoh has, I suppose."

"And what is that?"

"The ability to adapt." Haru abandoned her position much to Byakuya's disappointment. He sat up and watched her cross the room while she continued speaking. "Do you think Suzaku had so many attack forms when it first came into being? Iie... as I fought, I gained more abilities and more ways to use them. It began with seishinhi, in which I set my reiatsu ablaze and direct the attacks using reishi. Then, it developed a second form, kagehi, in which each cut leaves behind an invisible residue of reishi that I ignite once I withdraw. Finally, shinseinahi developed, in which I use two clouds of spirit particles to guide the flames emitted by the blade into one whirling inferno that either collapses on itself and combusts or blooms into fennikuru no hana. Those forms did not come about because they existed when I first received Suzaku. They came about because I got myself into situations in which I required a certain tactic, one I could not create using kidou." Haru stood with her arms folded behind her. "Do you remember the day I provoked you into a fight?"

"I remember all of our fights, Haru-kun."

"Then you recall your introduction to mizuhi?" Byakuya nodded briefly. "While that wasn't my first time using it, that was the day it fully matured as a form. I was already familiar with its capabilities even though it had no name."

"The same is true of your higher forms, no doubt?"

"The technical term is risen form, and right now, there is only one of them. Since I have never used my bankai before my fight with Ichigo, Suzaku has taken the liberty of explaining the nature of the risen forms to me. Rather than being connected to the blade, these forms are entirely dependent upon the reishi in the air and my condensation of those reishi into projectiles. Nevertheless, each form bears the character 'hi' because they are, in essence, a more advanced form of fire. The first is named tsuinohi. I form two of these projectiles simultaneously from a single cloud of reishi and aim them at the target. Today, the first struck Hiyori-san's mask, and the second struck the blade of her sword. That is precisely what the form was designed for."

"I do not understand."

"How much clearer can I make it?" Haru inquired. "At age fourteen, I was confronted with the possibility that Aizen may use the hollowfication process in reverse should he ever get the chance. He could use it to create creatures called arrancar, which were hollow that had gained shinigami powers, and of them was a particularly powerful order that could potentially grow to rival the vizard in power. Needless to say, this caused me a great deal of anxiety. Each night, I asked myself, 'What can I do against such foes? I cannot even defeat a vizard, much less one of these arrancar.' And each night, the same silence answered me. Finally, Suzaku spoke and offered me the power, though she didn't call it the power to defeat the arrancar. No... she called it the power to protect. 'You wish to protect everything,' she said, 'and everyone precious in your life. There may be a way we can do it.' So, you see, the sword itself was born from a powerful lust for revenge, but over time, it changed because I wanted to protect certain things: my pride, my life, and the lives of others."

"Yet you keep skirting around this question, and I will see it answered before you leave this room, Yamashita Haru." Byakuya was suddenly very close. His eyes were serious and hungry, but he kept his hands at his sides to show he had no intention of harming her despite her trepidations. "What exactly is your bankai? You said it was not a sword, but you have not yet specified anything else it could be." A searing pain raced across Haru's eyes, and she immediately moved to cast them away, but Byakuya caught her chin before she could do so and maintained his hold gently enough to allow her escape if she truly wished it. "Tell me."

"You cannot ask me that."

"You said three questions, each including as many subquestions as was necessary to satisfy my curiosity. I will not be content until you answer."

"Byakuya-sama, you are seeking a truth you would hate to find. Trust me."

"Have I not already made it clear that I cannot hate you?" he said, exasperated at her avoidance. "You are the most precious thing in my life, you and you alone. I would sacrifice anything for you: honor, pride, reputation... I would give you the world and more if you asked it of me, and though you have reduced me to this pathetic state, though I should loathe my own powerlessness more than I loathe the solitude that gave me power, I cannot. I find myself wanting to become even more enthralled by you. I care not the cost; I must have you." Haru listened to his desperation, clenching her hand into a fist and trembling as she felt tears threatening to spill forth. "So, Haru-kun, I ask you once more, if your bankai is not a sword, then what is it?" She fumbled with her words, then shook her head slowly, defiantly. Vexed beyond his usual level with her secrecy, Byakuya pushed her onto the bed and soon appeared above her. Haru was staring at the ceiling, bewildered and a little lost. Her wrists were restrained by his grasp, making any attempt at escaping next to impossible. When her eyes moved to him, a breath escaped her body. He felt the tremors working through her arms, though he couldn't see whether it was fear, revulsion, or desire that produced them. "Tell me."

"Byakuya-sama..."

"Tell me," he repeated with equal sternness.

"Onegai..." Haru tried to twist her arms as she spoke, but she suddenly found herself feeling weak. She peered above her head at her trapped wrists, then glanced back to Byakuya, whose stern expression implied impatience and had such vast undertones of hunger that his unwillingness to wait was entirely overwhelmed. In less time than it took to blink, he had leaned down next to her ear and whispered in the most seductive tone she had ever heard him speak in,

"Tell me." A strained gasp escaped her lungs as she tried vainly to process his request. Byakuya seemed to be enjoying her reactions, so he continued speaking to her in that tone. "What harm will it do, Haru-kun? Are you not a Yamashita? I was under the impression that your people were those who always kept promises, who always fulfilled debts, whether that debt is benevolence or retribution." With each word, Haru struggled even harder. The effort quickly made her breathless. "Haru-kun..." At the sound of her name, Haru bit her lip to keep from eliciting any sound other than a gasp. Detecting the hitch in her breathing, Byakuya withdrew enough to study her expression. "You are blushing."

"If I am, it's your fault!" she cried, glowering until she caught a glance of his face. Then, she swiftly closed them and turned her head, not wanting to look at him or acknowledge the true nature of her zanpakutoh. She detected his hold shift so that it only took one of his hands to restrain both of hers. When his other lifted the glasses off of her face, she shot another leer at him, but it melted as quickly as the first. He studied them for a moment, then dropped them gently on the nightstand before placing it against her flushed cheek and moving it slowly beneath her jawline, along the side of her neck, around the graceful curve of her shoulder... Haru couldn't watch that hand travel anymore.

"Tell me to stop."

"Nani?" she inquired, flinching as his fingers brushed across the bare side of her arm.

"If you don't, then I'm afraid of what I may do." Astonished, Haru stared at the conflict filling his expression. His eyes fell away from hers for a moment, filled with unbelievable shame, then returned as two famished sapphire orbs that gorged upon the sight of her and still wanted more.

"A bow," she murmured at last.

"Hmm?"

"Tenraihoshi Suzaku is not a sword." Haru turned her arms slightly now that his grip had loosened, but she remained a captive to his hold. For some reason, she didn't want to stop him just yet. "It is a bow." Byakuya blinked for a moment to recover himself and to make sure he had heard right. "Are you really that surprised? You know what I am. You know who my father was, and yet you let such a simple fact completely throw you. My bankai is a bow, and its projectiles are arrows. It reflects the other side of my being while at the same time sustaining my status as a shinigami. Tenraihoshi Suzaku is the perfect union of both sides of my power, the shinigami and the quincy." Apparently, he was still trying to process this new information and was so enthralled in doing so that he forgot about the vulnerable girl laying beneath him. "Ano... if you are finished, can you please let me up? I am having a bit of trouble breathing with you sitting on me."

Byakuya's eyes traveled to her. He acknowledged her request; that much was plain from his eyes. However, that did not mean he was about ready to fulfill it. Briskly, he leaned down and crushed her lips beneath his, drinking the shocked gasp she elicited at the force of his ministration. He felt her writhing and released her arms as he pulled away only to be yanked back down and silenced by a kiss just as powerful as the one he had given her. "Don't stop," she whispered, causing that same bewildered expression to flash across his face. Haru raised one hand and brushed a stray lock of hair from his eyes. "Don't stop."

His mind failed to process the request, but his body certainly did. He reached for the tie restraining her hair and freed it before capturing her lips again. He was vaguely aware of the hands working the buttons of his shirt. They drew away when he started pulling her jacket off, then quickly returned to their task once she had freed her arms of the encumbering garment. His hand started traveling to her knee, snaking slowly up the side of her leg. When he had reached the middle of her thigh, something disrupted him. He pulled back and returned to himself, peering at Haru, whose trembling hands still had a hold on his collar. They gazed at each other and waited. Sure enough, the knock came again. "Sumimasen, Tanaka-san! I have your room service!"

"Room service?" Haru echoed. "But we didn't order any room service."

"I took the liberty of getting dinner since I had and still have the feeling you haven't eaten much." Byakuya casually drew away and straightened his shirt before pacing towards the door. Haru was pleased to see that he staggered slightly. "Besides, I have not exactly eaten much myself."

"I can tell," Haru answered, turning over to lay on her stomach, silently admiring his obsidian locks as he peeled the door open.

In an instant, her mirth iced over and turned to complete horror. She could detect the sudden rise of tension in the air. Silently, she cursed her own stupidity. She should have remembered that her brother had a part-time job at a hotel. The bewilderment in his gaze outweighed any she had ever seen, especially when he saw her propped up on the bed, her legs bent at the knees, her hair disheveled, her jacket laying amongst the creases in the blankets, and her violet gaze locked on him, uninhibited by her glasses. Byakuya glanced to her questioningly, then stepped aside to let Ishida wheel the cart in. "I found you," he said with a smirk.

"Nani? You aren't angry?"

"A friend of yours told me I shouldn't be. Would you mind if I stayed for a moment? I have some things I need to discuss with you." Haru glanced to Byakuya, who gave her a nod of assent.

"I'll call the front desk." She went about her business without looking at either of them, but they exchanged regular glances once Byakuya returned from shutting the door. Ishida glanced at his half-open shirt and raised a brow.

"Did I interrupt?" The noble cleared his throat began sealing up his half-open garment.

"You must understand, that is not what I brought her here for."

"Are you sure?"

"Did I sound uncertain?" Byakuya inquired, shifting his eyes to Haru. She was kneeling on the bed, speaking softly into the receiver. "Did Renji say something questionable?"

"Nothing."

"Good," the captain stated. "To be honest, I brought her here to get some answers. I thought that if we made any attempt at a serious discussion at Urahara's shop, we would be interrupted."

"And I suppose these answers involved the removal of clothing?" Ishida was staring at her jacket on the bed.

"I became a little too wrapped up in her company, I suppose. Still... I cannot say I did not enjoy it to its fullest." Ishida imagined a smile on the noble's face; the way he was so composed after being interrupted and accused was unsettling to the quincy, who quickly glanced away. "More than anything, that enjoyment was what interrupted our discussion."

"Souka," he said faintly, wishing desperately that Byakuya would change the subject, but he didn't have to wait any longer. Haru set the phone down and smoothed her hair, turning to them with troubled eyes.

"Watanabe-san asks that you take the rest of the night off. I will supply you with the remainder of your wages, not to mention a substantial tip for excellent service."

"That isn't necessary, Haru-sama..."

"Nonsense," she responded. "I insist on it." Things almost seemed normal with him, much more so than they had lately. Haru anxiously avoided his eyes as she lifted her coat off the bed and slipped it over her shoulders. "Byakuya-sama, I hope you don't mind my evicting you, but would you mind too terribly much if I had a moment alone with my brother? I promise it won't take very long."

"He can stay," Ishida answered flatly. "Besides, I don't mind it so much anymore."

"You don't?"

"Iie," he murmured. "It's like I said, a friend of yours explained some things."

"Not Shinji-san, I hope..."

"Shinji-san?" Ishida inquired. "Who exactly is this Shinji-san?"

"No one important if you haven't met him." Haru smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. If it had been Shinji, Ishida would have every right to be infuriated, but he didn't seem like he was.

"You and your secrets..." He shook his head and clicked his tongue. "One day, you'll forget to keep them."

"It is possible," Haru answered, folding her hands. Soon, the placidity filling her expression was displaced by a touch of anxiety. "You said... a friend. May I ask who?"

"Well, he's more a coworker, really, and he takes punches considerably well."

"Takumi-san?"

"You catch on quickly," he said, removing the hat of his work uniform and sitting down in a chair. "I came to apologize."

"What for?"

"For forgetting what I am to you." Byakuya moved to leave, knowing that he wasn't an important member of the conversation. "Stay," Ishida requested. "You need to hear this, too." He nodded his assent and sat next to Haru, resting one ankle on his knee and leaning forward. "The truth is I've been kind of a jerk lately. Maybe it's all the stress I've undergone from being the middleman. Or perhaps it's the fact that you showed up so unexpectedly when I was losing patience with them. It may even be the augmented frequency of hollow attacks, the extra homework, the extra shifts I've been picking up here... things that are entirely unrelated to you. I have a thousand excuses for it, but none of them quite make up for treating you as I have or for attacking your vice captain this morning, so... I'm sorry."

"Ishi-nii..."

"There's more," he interrupted, folding his hands. "I knew you felt strongly about Byakuya-san, but I didn't know how strongly until Urahara-san explained your departure to me. I felt a little resentment at the fact that you hadn't told me just how deep these feelings of yours ran and even more so at the fact that he is a shinigami. Nevertheless, I realize I can't do anything to change your mind about him, even if he is the reason you're refusing your familial responsibilities."

"Onegai..."

"Haru-sama, I ask that you let me finish."

"I don't want to discuss my so-called family or my supposed responsibilities to them. I'm sick of fighting with you about it." Her voice quavered with fury as she spoke those words, and realizing that she had no desire to be angry with him, she bowed her head. Byakuya touched her shoulder, but she immediately pulled away. "I can't do it anymore, Ishi-nii. All this arguing, all this drama… I can't stomach another ounce of it. I hate being frustrated with you, and I hate that you're angry with me, and what for? I'm not even sure there's a real reason, or if there is one, I doubt it makes a bit of sense…"

"Well said, Haru-sama, but that's why I'm here." Ishida bowed his head, half out of reverence, half out of the need to contemplate his next words, and then continued. "You see, part of the reason I was so bitter about your relationship with him is because I thought he was the reason you were rejecting your title. I know it's not the only reason, but at the moment, it seems like the only one you're acknowledging. If you accept your title, you will have to fight for the right to choose that and more. The battle will be difficult, but you know you can win it. You have never lost a game of chess, not even with Urahara-san. Your logic is impeccable, and your debating skills are a force to be reckoned with. You would win. Well, I've come to tell you... the reason I've been bitter with your choice. It has nothing to do with me or the work I'm putting into stalling them and everything to do with the future."

"The future?" she inquired. "Whose future?"

"That of the clan," he answered. "You see, I've been afraid of your rejecting them for a long time without telling you why, without knowing the reason myself. Now, I think I finally understand. I know you hate them, Haru-sama... you hate them and everything they stand for. Their chicanery is repulsive, their ignorance of human decency despicable, their thirst for power and control unforgiving and ruthless... but even so, even so..." He folded his hands and bowed his head. "What you do with these words is up to you. I am only speaking them because they're weighing so heavily upon me. Haru-sama, if you don't become the nineteenth heir, then your family will continue carving the path to their own destruction. They aren't all horrible, Haru-sama... there are some good people in that family. If the clan continues as they are, then there is a possibility that they and all the decent members of the clan will suffer an untold amount. You can save them, though."

"Me?" she stammered.

"That's right... the reason I've been so adamant about your rejection of the title isn't because I think you're immune to the temptation of power, not because I think your family ties should be what matters most in this world, and while it is a shame that others may suffer, it isn't even because of their potential fates. Iie... the whole reason I've been frustrated and confused has nothing to do with that and everything to do with your own power. I know you can change things, Haru-sama... you can right the wrongs... not all of them, but you can definitely turn them in the right direction. You can sustain the current holdings of the Yamashita family and more... you can make them better people."

While he spoke, Haru gazed at him with nothing but understanding in her eyes. She couldn't argue the point. "Ishi-nii," she murmured at last. "I... don't know what to say."

"Think about it. That's all you have to do." He rose and stretched. "Well, I've taken up enough of your time. You wouldn't want to let the rest of the night go to waste, would you?"

"Ishi-nii!" Haru gasped, leaping to her feet. "I swear, it isn't like that!"

"Really, now?" Byakuya inquired. "Before he came in, you were practically begging me not to stop."

"He doesn't need to know that!" she cried, covering the rouge glow in her cheeks. Again, Ishida wasn't sure how to react, but he simply smiled and shook his head. "Honestly, you are a noble. Where in heaven's name is your propriety?"

"In Soul Society, right next to my paperwork."

"Ah," Haru responded, pressing a hand to her head. "I should have known."

"Haru-sama, I have one more thing I must say. Actually, it is more a request than a statement." Before she could assent, he bowed his head and murmured, "Please... let me go with you."

"Go with me?"

"When you travel to Tokyo, I wish to accompany you." The weight of his request gradually dawned upon her. "I have some unfinished business I must complete, and what's more, it may help if you had at least one quincy with you when you return."

"What about school?"

"I've already completed two weeks' worth of coursework ahead of time. I notified my instructors that I may have an upcoming absence, and they were understanding enough."

"And work?"

"Two weeks ago, I gave my notice. This is just something to help pass the time while you're away, but I feel the time would be better spent in preparation of the upcoming war."

"But Ishi-nii..."

"I can fill you in on everything else during the train ride. Can I call you tomorrow after school, or do you have an appointment?"

"Not as far as I know, but things come up with me very quickly. Leave a voice mail if I don't answer."

"I understand," he answered, bowing again. "Then it's settled. We're leaving tomorrow." Haru shook her head in disbelief. Was it really going to be Friday already? "I'll let you enjoy Byakuya-san's company for the rest of the night. Just don't enjoy it too much, or you'll be sleeping until five in the afternoon."

"Ishi-nii..." As he waved a hand and began towards the door, Haru couldn't help but note how chipper he had suddenly become.

"One more thing," he stated, peering at Byakuya. "If I find out you did anything against her will, I'll have to kill you." The noble leered at the quincy's audacity, but Ishida disappeared before the disagreement could escalate any further.

"I swear," Byakuya murmured once he was gone, "that impudent boy has some nerve speaking to a noble that way."

"He is only concerned for me," she reassured him. "Now, let's eat before it gets cold." They sat down to their meal and consumed it in silence. Every now and then, Haru would glance up and realize Byakuya was staring at her, but she only smiled and shook her head in response. She made no efforts to deter him, nor did she dare utter a word that would ruin the sweet stillness that had set in. Finally, when she thought the moment could grow no closer to perfect, she glanced up to find her former captain lost in his own thoughts. "Is something troubling you, Byakuya-sama?"

"Iie," he responded. "I feel that I should apologize, though."

"What for?"

"For going too far," he answered. "If I made you uncomfortable at all this evening, then..." Immediately, Haru's face sprang to life, and she covered her cheeks with her hands. The memories flashed vividly in her mind, more of the sentiments than of the events themselves, since the former possessed more verisimilitude than their actions. A shadow passed across her gaze, and Byakuya's lips found hers. "I apologize," he murmured when he drew away. "I never intended to push you so far."

"Well, of course you didn't, but I don't think you should be shouldering the blame by yourself." Perplexed, he arched a brow and asked with his eyes that she expound her comment. "The truth is, I sort of went too far, too. You're not the only one at fault."

"I suppose that is true," he answered after a moment of deliberation. "You could have stopped me." He paused for a moment, then placed his chin in his hand and stared at her. A somewhat amused light fluttered across those two sapphire orbs as they watched Haru consume the rest of her meal. He waited until she wasn't chewing or drinking anything before asking in that tone that gave her the chills, "Why didn't you?"

Despite the absence of food in her mouth, Haru coughed until her eyes watered. Then, she calmly dried the tears from her eyes and peered quizzically at Byakuya. "What kind of a question is that?" Haru demanded. "You've only got one left, you know."

"Nani?"

"You really are mad," Haru muttered, shaking her head in dismay.

"Only because you make me so."

"Have you already forgotten? We came here because I promised to answer three questions completely, honestly, and without being so ambiguous."

"Oh, yes... that," he answered, tilting his head. Haru threw him a dark glare.

"You remembered the whole time."

"Yet earlier, you made me forget everything, even my own propriety." He rose again and moved towards the window, throwing back the curtain to glimpse the now subdued traffic below. "Do you understand the extent of the power you exercise over me, Haru-kun? One word is all it takes, and I will cease or I will continue. Next time, I suggest you exercise more caution. As for my third question, I think I shall save it."

"Save it?" Haru demanded. "But that isn't fair!"

"Why not?"

"Because I can't be expected to know which question you want me to answer, and because you could ask it anytime, anyplace. If you asked me something personal in front of the captains, I think I'd die of mortification."

"Why in heaven's name would I do that?"

"You've done it before," Haru retorted. "Your little comment about us 'sleeping together' in front of Soutaichou-sama was more than enough to reveal your true nature. You aim to embarrass me."

"Not for the reason you think," he answered. Byakuya returned to her in several strides and touched the side of her face, tilting her head so he could lose himself in her silvery violet eyes. "It is because I love seeing you blush." The skin beneath his fingers gave a slight tremble, which brought a satisfied ghost of a smile to his face. "Nonetheless, I promise to exercise discretion while asking this third question. It is the least I can do to make it up to you." Haru gave him a look that clearly told him his fears were unfounded, that there was nothing to forgive, that they had both become lost in the moment, and that there was no taking any of it back. They now knew the attraction was mutual, not to mention something more than emotional. "Do you remember what you promised me in Seireitei?"

"When?" she asked.

"The day Fujiwara nearly took your head." Haru trudged through her memories and stumbled upon the offer. Her eyes shot open and locked on Byakuya. "So, you do remember..."

"Demo..." she gasped, but she was silenced by the utterly pathetic look in his eyes. "Are you... sure it's a good idea?"

"Have I ever had a bad idea, Haru-kun?" Normally, his ego would have bothered her, but tonight, she didn't feel like it was wise to argue the point with him. She swallowed and shook her head, casting her eyes downward to hide her blush. Her hands found one another and wrung together, shaking slightly. Suddenly, another closed around them, warm yet pale. "I realize that my actions earlier must have startled you. I am not a man that is easily swayed by passion. I can give you nothing more than my word that it will not happen again." Haru realized with a sinking feeling that she wanted it to happen again, but her reason condemned her desires as nonsensical. She was only fifteen, and he... well, she had no unearthly idea how old he was. All she knew was that at some point, she had fallen for him, and he for her, even though she claimed to be too young to use the word "love" in regards to anyone but her brother, and possibly her sensei. Even then, it was only in the familial sense. She ruminated over how things had gotten that far and wondered what had possessed her to plead him to continue.

_I have lost my mind, _she thought, shaking her head and peering at him. He interpreted her answer as negative and withdrew. The disappointment was clear in his gaze, and once that had disappeared, it permeated every aspect of his posture right down to the rate at which he took his steps. It was almost as if he was saying his word was not good enough. "Byakuya-sama," she called, causing him to turn around. "I want to say yes, but that isn't all. I... I..."

"I understand, Haru-kun," he answered. "I shall draw us a bath." How she envied his placidity. Still, she managed to sit through every stroke of the cloth without fidgeting, objecting, or expressing her pleasure in any way other than sending him the occasional glance through the steam.

"Honestly," she retorted once they were sitting on opposite sides of the tub, immersed in hot water. She had a towel wound about her body, and he was in much the same condition for modesty's sake.

"Nandesuka? Did I do something wrong?"

"Nothing that you haven't already done. You say it startles you that I'm calm while washing your back, yet when we're sitting here like this, you manage to keep a straight face the whole time. It doesn't even faze you."

"With you, it does not seem so unusual," he answered. "Besides, I have wanted to do this for a long time."

"Then why didn't you say something?" she retorted.

"This may surprise you, but I can be patient when I wish." Haru peered at him through the steam and shook her head slowly. The aqueous fingers worked over every muscle in her body and drew a content sigh from her. She leaned back, disrupting the curtain of vapors for a moment, but they settled again. "You seem relatively relaxed yourself."

"How can I not relax? It's a bath. That's what they're for, right?"

"I suppose so," he answered. Something in his tone made her sit up.

"Is something the matter?"

"Iie." There it was, the undeniable desolation in his voice. After tomorrow, they wouldn't be seeing each other for two weeks. Perhaps that was what had drove her to speaking so readily, and to bathing with him instead of alone. She didn't want to waste a single moment of the time she had left with him. That also explained his sudden bout of downheartedness. "Haru-kun, may I ask you something?"

"As with all other questions you pose me, there is no guarantee I'll answer... unless you would like to use your third question now."

"I am saving it," he responded. "I ask that you don't take this the wrong way, though." Haru nodded to signal her understanding, and Byakuya proceeded to speak, but with great caution. "The quincy raised some relevant points tonight in his conversation. Tell me, what do you intend to do now?" Haru leaned her head to one side so her locks touched the water. Then, she leaned the other way with much the same result. Byakuya watched her with curiosity and with more patience than he had ever displayed in regards to anything dealing with Haru before that moment.

"I don't know. I mean, if I say I'll be head of the family, then continuing to stay with you will become a convoluted ordeal. They will undoubtedly disapprove of my taste in men." She peered at him thoughtfully for a moment. "Then again, I suppose that if it came to it, I could outright defy them. At the same time, I'm not sure if I can handle being a captain and the head of my family." She glanced to the water again and scooped a handful of it up, watching as it trickled between her fingers.

"You will make an excellent captain, and you will be able to lead your family both fairly and efficiently." The confidence with which he spoke those words drew a smile to her face.

"As much as I appreciate your words, Byakuya-sama, I think you are unjustified in saying them. I will not know what type of captain I will be until I am a captain, and I will not know how well I can head the family until I head the family."

"But I know you will be successful," he argued, "because you are not the type of person to loathe failure, but you avoid it when necessary. You are the kind of person who is willing to exert effort, even at a slight cost to your personal comforts. Moreover, your utilization of power will be fair and just because you consider yourself equal with all others, not above them." Haru peered at him while he spoke, never once glancing away. "Believe me, Haru-kun... if you believe nothing else I say, then believe those words, and always carry them with you." The way he said those words startled her, and she bowed her head.

"Byakuya-sama," she uttered, "I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you."

"Do not consider my good will a debt. I don't say these things to ingratiate you."

"Then why?" He blinked at the question, stunned that she would think to doubt his sentiments as well as his words, especially after what had nearly happened several hours ago. "I want to hear you say it, Byakuya-sama... just once more... the words you uttered on Soukyouku hill." It was with the greatest caution that he waded across the bath and sat beside her. Haru immediately let her head drop to his shoulder, and beneath the water, the fingers of her right hand intertwined with those of his left. She felt his breath strike her temple as he exhaled.

"Sukidayo," he murmured after the steam and the silence had settled. "Sukidayo, Yamashita Haru." Byakuya didn't understand why those words seemed to cause Haru so much pain or why the grip on his hand tightened as he uttered them. All he knew was that her feelings were genuine, and she returned those feelings with a strength that may very well have exceeded his own.

* * *

Ohaycon! Ohayocon! Ohayocon! I am so thrilled. I can't believe it's here again already, though this may be my last one if I go away for graduate school. *sobs* There will still be anime viewing, and I will still probably follow Bleach like the Bleachtard I am, but conventions… meh, money will be tight as it is. At any rate, enough about my future plans! I can't very well leave you here without throwing in one last Japanese lesson for the road, now can I?

Yare, yare: Urahara's infamous catch phrase, generally translated as "Well, well"

Nani: What

Iie: No

Gomenasai: Formal apology

Demo: But

Nandesuka: What is it

Onegai: Please

Ano: Japanese equivalent of "um"

Sumimasen: Excuse me (also some sort of apology)

Souka: I see

Sukidayo: I love you, though not the most intense way of saying so.

Happy Ohayocon to all! If you'll be there and want to see me live and in person (gasp!), look for the befuddled young woman with the kuroneko hat or the light blue yukata with dark purple and white flowers. I'll probably be the only one among a giant group that is not cosplaying, so I shouldn't be that hard to find. To those who are going, please enjoy yourselves, and I hope to come back ready to post another chapter soon! Hope you enjoyed this one! Sayonara!!!


	15. Chapter 15: Delay

A/N: Hello, all, and many apologies! I epically fail at updating because of work, my class, Nintendo DS, D. Gray-Man, a head cold, and GRAD SCHOOL! I get to start in the fall, so I'm super excited… and taking this opportunity to buff up on Brit. Lit, since I want to eventually specialize in that. Nonetheless, I feel I have somewhat failed my devoted fans by keeping them in suspense for months despite having this chapter ready five weeks ago. As per usual, life distracted me. I have continued writing, and I promise I will continue posting chapters, but with this new educational development, they may be a bit slow in coming. To those who have continued reading despite my stylistic and desultory pitfalls, I extend my gratitude.

I also thank my lovely reviewers: Ray-nee-chan, kudokuchan69, NAO-chan33, CRdragonPyro, kaito142, and Valinor's Twilight. While I appreciate all of my readers, I also appreciate the feedback I receive. You are all epically awesome!

And now, without further ado, I give you chapter 15!

_Chapter 15: Delay_

Hinamori stirred soon after the sun rose, as was her custom. After stretching, she fell onto her back and stared at the ceiling, wondering where Haru was at the moment and whether or not she had enjoyed her evening. _Today's the day, _she thought, rolling over and curling up. _Today, I see Tokyo for the first time. I wonder what taichou's estate is like... _She rested her arm in the crook of her elbow and stared critically at the wall. _I wonder if she ever worked things out with Ishida-san. He seemed a little more understanding when he left, but still... I think Takumi is right. There's something more going on. What could it be?_ Her inability to conjure up an answer didn't faze her in the least. She turned over again, then immediately leaped up, becoming ensnared in the blankets and striking the floor with a slight exclamation of displeasure.

"Hey," Takumi stated, waving casually. "How's it going?"

"What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded. "It's early! You're supposed to be down the hall sleeping with Renji!"

"Yeah, about that..." Takumi casually scratched his ear. "That guy can seriously snore up a storm. I thought we were having an earthquake."

"How long have you been here?"

"A while. Look, I don't mean to interrupt your interrogation, but I swear, all I did was stagger in and sleep on the extra futon. I didn't feel like fighting with you that late, so I didn't bother waking you since you didn't hear me come in. I'm sorry." Hinamori's anger immediately subsided, and she sheepishly glanced at the floor. "You were thinking about taichou, weren't you?"

"Hai," she murmured. Takumi fell onto his back and tucked his arms beneath his head, gazing placidly at the ceiling.

"Damn it... I just can't crack her."

"Nani?"

"She's hiding something. We both know that. The trouble is finding out what. She's too smart to fool, she's too strong to beat in a fight, and I doubt either Uryuu or Byakuya would be willing to lend us a hand."

"Only taichou is capable of giving us the answer," Hinamori said dolefully. "I guess we've got no choice but to believe she'll tell us when the time is right."

"You've got a point." Takumi rolled over and peered at her. "Neh, Momo…"

"Hmm?"

"What do you reckon waits for us at the end of this road?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, tilting her head towards the window. "Takumi, are you insinuating that we should be rewardedfor our loyalty?"

"Hey, seeing her happy is enough of a reward for me." He propped up his head and rested it against one of his hands, letting his eyes fall shut entirely for one satisfied moment that was cut short by the bizarre look Hinamori was giving him.

"Takumi, I have to ask… do you…" He scoffed and smirked.

"It isn't like that," he answered. "It never has been. I know she feels for Byakuya. I've known it since I met her. Still, I want to see her smile because like the rest of us, she deserves to have things in her life to smile about, even if it's only living to see the sun rise." Takumi paused for a moment, glanced at her with one eye briefly, diverted his gaze elsewhere, and suddenly broke out in a fit of swearing. "Damn it all to hell! Why can't I figure it out?" He threw his face into the pillow he had brought with him from his own room, heaving a defeated sigh. Just as he was sinking into it, a chorus of gentle laugher caused him to sit up. He found Hinamori staring at him, laughing behind her hand, and the smile quickly lifted the corners of his mouth. "What the hell is so funny?"

"You're so irascible," she stated. "I can't help but laugh."

"Yeah, well…" Takumi paused for a moment, and a deathly serious look dragged its way across his eyes. Once she caught the grim weight that suddenly fell upon the air, she sat up and peered quizzically at the intense seventh seat as he got to his feet and walked to the window as if possessed.

"Takumi?" she inquired. "Are you… all right?" Her eyes drifted to his hands, which had made a sudden movement as they balled into fists and quivered. She noticed the charcoal lines spreading over them like veins, and suddenly, the glint in his visible eye seemed even sharper. "Takumi, your hand…"

"It's all right," he said quietly. "It's nothing." Despite his words, Hinamori still perceived the gasp that rattled in his chest as he drew breath and the tremble of his hand as it clutched the window sill. For a long time, Takumi remained silent in a manner that put his companion ill at ease. He neither spoke nor breathed, and with a startling suddenness, his body became completely motionless.

"Should I… go get Urahara-san?"

"He can't do anything for me," he answered, peering sharply at her for a moment. "I just have to wait it out and try to stay calm. If I don't, I stand to lose a lot more than my mind." He shut his eyes again and exhaled with difficulty, then drew a determined breath. "It would probably be best if you left."

"Nande?"

"I don't want to hurt anyone." Hinamori nodded, considered it, and then paced towards him, unperceived by the utterly preoccupied Takumi. It was distant, but after a still and silent moment of distraction, he felt a faint grip on his left arm and the gentle pressure of a head rest against his shoulder. Startled, he peered up at her, tilting his head in such a way that his left eye remained hidden. "Idiot. Didn't I tell you to leave?"

"You won't hurt me," she said with unshakable certainty. Bewildered, he growled and sent his glower through the window, clenching his teeth as he oscillated between pulling away and enduring the contact, even though he despised it with every fiber of his being. "The feeling is mutual. I don't like you much either, but I told you before, I wouldn't let your presence prevent me from keeping conflicts at a minimum, here or anywhere else."

"You're trying too hard, damn it," he growled. "Let go."

"I won't," she stated, clutching his arm tighter. Takumi's right hand clawed at the wood as he sent her another glare in hopes that she would let go. "I understand the world hasn't been a very kind place to you, but that doesn't mean you have to return their antipathy."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm saying that maybe, if you let people in, they wouldn't despise you so much."

"Yeah, sure," he murmured, dipping his head, "but even if that was true, I'd still keep them away. No sense in endangering them by accepting them."

"And taichou?"

"I already explained it," he stated, hunching over more. Hinamori spotted the jagged swirl making its way up his neck like barbed wire or a thorny vine. "You really want to help me? Go. And before you leave, put me in the strongest bakudo you can."

"Explain it again."

"Not now."

"Takumi…" That did him in. Before he could even process what he was doing, he released the window sill and grabbed the closest thing to him, which was inevitably Hinamori. His hand clutched her shoulder hard enough to make her cry out, but that didn't deter him. He turned fully to her and wound his arms around her trembling frame until his presence was nearly suffocating, and even when she demanded that he let go, he did nothing of the sort. He only sagged against her shoulder as all strength drained out of him and gasped for breath. Since he was too heavy to support, Hinamori succumbed to kneeling on the hardwood floor, and despite her discomfort, she guided his head to her lap. One of his hands clutched the end of her sleeping kimono, but he had neither a reason nor a desire to disrupt it; he only needed something to hold on to. A hand swept across his brow, and a sleeve mopped the cold sweat away. His eye wandered to her face and made a vain attempt at reading her expression, but his vision was so blurred that he soon gave up the effort. Takumi's ears, however, were still working perfectly fine. He heard someone come in and walk heavily across the floor, and he could feel through his migraine the incredulous pair of eyes lock upon them.

"I ain't even gonna ask."

"That's probably wise," Hinamori confessed.

"I thought I heard you yell a little while ago. What's with all the noise? Is he trying something he shouldn't?"

"Iie… not at all. He just… startled me, jumping awake all of a sudden like that. He probably had a bad dream or something." Takumi heard the lie and forced himself to sit up, using her shoulders as support, but she soon gave him a good cuff on the head that drew another exasperated growl from him and sent him right back to where he had been. "You shouldn't be up and moving around. When you staggered over here, you nearly fell flat on your face," she chided in a tone that suggested authenticity. The smile she gave Renji effectively duped him into believing her claims as true. "Anyway, why are you here, Abarai-san? Usually, when given the opportunity, you will sleep until noon."

"Force of habit, I guess," he returned stretching his arms and lacing his fingers behind his head. "I think breakfast is ready."

"Save us a bit. We'll be along once he gets his bearings."

"If you say so." Once Renji's imposing presence was gone, Hinamori sighed with relief, and even that quiet sound was enough to draw an uncomfortable groan from him.

"Did you have to hit my head?"

"Quit whining. You're lucky I'm even letting you stay like this at all."

"Why the hell are you, hmm? Still trying to learn how to treat me like a shinigami? Forget it. I'm beyond redemption."

"The crime wasn't even yours, if I understand correctly," she retorted. The sharp tone caused him to give another verbal indicator of his pain. His hand moved to his head, and he peered irately at her for a moment before shutting his eye again. Even the light was abrasive to his sight, but her sympathy was even more so and served to draw a wry scoff from him. "What's the matter? Hey, if you don't quit smirking like that, I'll… I'll hit you again!"

"Gods, do whatever you want, but spare me your pity. It's pathetic." With an offended huff, she lifted his head up and made no move to catch it as it struck the floor with a dull thud, drawing a more intense indicator of pain from his lungs.

"If you're going to be that way about it, then I'm going to eat without you!"

"Good riddance," he retorted. Hinamori's face flushed with rage, and she crossed the room without another glance at him, slamming the door with all the strength she could muster and hoping that the solitude stung worse than his migraine.

"I swear, that boy has absolutely no manners. I don't know why taichou puts up with him." Exasperated, she marched down the hallway in search of her gigai, and upon discovering the room it was in, she slipped into the false body, taking careful note of how odd and restrictive it felt. Still, she couldn't complain. By three o'clock that afternoon, they would be on their way to Tokyo by train. Hopefully, he could pull himself together by then. Otherwise, they would all be in for a long ride.

Hinamori pushed the door open. Aware that all eyes shot to her, she staggered backwards, moving her gaze from one face to the other. She noticed Byakuya first and habitually gave him a formal good morning. "Neh, Hinamori," Renji stated, "Ya got any idea where Haru could've wandered off to?"

"You mean she isn't with you, Kuchiki-taichou?" she asked. The stoic man only gave some shadow of a grimace and shut his eyes. Apparently, Takumi wasn't the only one having a rough morning. "But I thought she enjoyed your company enough to stay with you."

"She does, as do I hers. It is her absence that irks me, particularly when it is unexpected."

"Yeah… I wouldn't blame ya for taking it as an insult, her leaving you alone like that." A dark look washed over his eyes, but he said nothing. Hinamori took it as a mixture between anger and concern. Still, she could not ignore the trace of antipathy in his eyes, directed more at the solitude than at Haru.

"Ano… I'm sure she has a perfectly good reason for her absence."

"I'm sure Haru-sama would appreciate your confidence," quipped Urahara, who had been silently hiding behind his fan until that moment. "However, I doubt it will do anything to alleviate his fears and concerns. The only one who could do that right now is Haru-sama, but alas, she is tragically missing in action…"

"Urusai," Byakuya retorted. The level of annoyance in his tone was almost tangible and caused Hinamori to start. "I suppose my seventh seat would have even less of an idea as to where she may have gone?"

"Takumi is currently incapacitated." Renji raised a brow as Hinamori crossed her arms and threw her glare somewhere other than the concerned captain and the incredulous vice captain. "Serves him right, the boor." She sat down and started eating to distract herself from Takumi and from the misadventures of her nominal captain, but she suddenly paused. A troubled look overcame her face, but she shrugged it off and continued eating.

"Hinamori…" She paused for a moment and glanced at him. "Are you really alright with letting her choose Takumi as her vice captain?" She had to ignore the question, partly because her mouth was full and partly because she had no desire to address it. "I think you've got more potential than he does, not to mention, you've served as a vice captain before. The rookie's got no chance at…"

"I suggest you forget your biases, Renji," Byakuya interrupted. "Or have you forgotten that you were only a recent graduate when I selected you to be my vice captain?"

"Look, my aim's to make her feel better, not to sing high praises to you," he retorted, scratching his ear. "Besides, you're well aware that I'm grateful, and even if I ever stopped being grateful, you'd never let me forget it."

"Renji, just because we are in a casual atmosphere does not mean you can be so glib. I suggest you use more caution when selecting your words."

"H… hai," he grumbled, bowing his head. "Sorry. I'm only trying to lighten the mood. You look kind of like you're at a funeral."

"As he should," Urahara responded. "He's only worried about Haru-sama, as I'm certain we all are." A tacit agreement set in between them. Hinamori sipped her tea thoughtfully.

"Come to think of it…" She peered at her hands for a moment. "You never did mention where she was all day yesterday. You know, don't you, Abarai-san?" He stammered incoherently as Byakuya's threatening gaze pierced him. Urahara glowered in much the same manner. The redhead had no choice but to succumb to the will of his superiors and fall utterly silent. "I see," she murmured. "I understand you not telling me. Taichou is full of secrets." Hinamori smiled at the thought of how many secrets Haru had yet to unveil. She tried to imagine how long it would take and decided that by the time Haru was finished, Urahara would have a beard at least as long as Yamamoto's. A slight laugh escaped her at the thought, but she quickly regained her somberness. "I was only going to suggest that you check there. It is possible that she went back." Byakuya shut his eyes to hide the pain flashing through them. She couldn't have possibly gone back to see _those _people. He hated the undeniable possibility that Haru had, and the fury that coursed through his veins was potent. Still, he revealed no such animosity to anyone. He merely released a terse breath and got to his feet.

"Taichou?" Renji asked. "Where are you…"

"I am going to find Haru-kun," he responded.

"Are you crazy? If you go back there alone, those crazy people will probably do more than bind you with bakudo! I wouldn't put it past them to kill you, and what the hell would the sixth division do if that happened?"

"I never admitted to being sane. As for the division, it will survive even if I perish."

"Baka! You've got to think about Rukia, too! What about her? I mean, yeah, it's all good and well for her as long as you're alive, but do you really think the Kuchiki clan will let her keep staying there if you go and get yourself killed?"

"You are not my mother, Renji."

"Well, I'm pretty damn sure Haru would say the same thing. She wouldn't want to see you risking your safety just to find her. Besides, if she's there, then she probably went for a reason." Byakuya cast a dark look to his vice captain, one that quickly fell upon the bemused Urahara, who was trying to hide his delight in the chaos that was erupting around him behind a paper fan. If Byakuya hadn't been in his gigai, he would have cut that fan to bits, and while he was at it, he would have taken down the laughing idiot right along with it. However, as luck would have it, he was in his gigai, not to mention, he was relatively certain that Haru would not appreciate any harm that came to her sensei by his hand. He was left with no option but to grimly bear the unbearable Urahara Kisuke in complete silence as he wished he was wherever Haru was at that moment.

If he had any inkling of an idea, he wouldn't have wished so desperately, for at that very moment, she found herself being thrown across the ground by Hiyori… again. With a disheartened sigh, Haru let her feet drop and stared at the false clouds moving above her. Detecting the sudden movement, she ceased her observation and rocked her weight back on her shoulders, turning her hands until they contacted the grass. Then, she launched herself into the air moments before a blade sliced the ground where she had just been laying. _It can't be done, _she thought, shutting her eyes and shifting her weight. _It just can't be done… _Haru felt the opposing blade slam against her own and gritted her teeth as her shoulder screamed silently in pain. Haru blocked the subsequent strike, ducked the next, and flashed out of sight. _There is too much for me to do before this afternoon. Even if I were to delay my trip, the fact remains that I am running out of time. Kuso… _Haru gritted her teeth as Hiyori's blade met hers again. Instinctively, she leaned backwards and watched the foot sail over her head. The very next one would have landed directly against her stomach had she not altered her position and thwarted Hiyori's kick with one of her own. She rocked her weight back on her arms again, taking careful aim and thrusting her other foot directly upward. The vizard sailed backwards, tumbling across the ground and getting herself into a crouch by the time she stopped sliding.

By then, Haru was back on her feet and staring into the distance. There was something about it that caused Hiyori to refrain from delivering a counterattack, something serious and sinister, something resolute and inexorable; it was something downright unsettling as far as Hiyori was concerned.

Not knowing how Haru would react to her approach (if she reacted at all), she paced slowly up to the shinigami, whose eyes were locked on the distance, flickering with a shadowy trepidation that only served to chill Hiyori's blood and summon a frown to her face. "Haru."

"Hmm?"

"What's up?"

"Nothing but the sky and the clouds," she answered, fanning her hand out and stretching it upwards. Hiyori's foot shot towards Haru's shin, but she nimbly evaded by sticking her sword in the ground and launching her legs off the ground. They soon came to a rest again, and a rather perturbed Haru glowered at Hiyori.

"What's with that look? Ya know damn well that ain't what I meant."

"If I knew the answer to that question, then I would more than happily divulge it. However…" Haru's eyes grew darker and more serious. "I cannot say what it is that has me feeling this way."

"What way?"

"It's like…" She paused momentarily to gather her words. "It's like watching a pot of water on the burner."

"I don't follow ya," Hiyori replied, scratching her ear and standing beside Haru.

"Well, when you put a pot of water on the burner, the passage of time and constant application of heat will bring said water to a boil. However, if you watch it, time seems to pass more slowly, and the change in temperature seems more gradual. In other words, when you simply wait for something to happen and never take your eyes off the pot, the water never boils; that thing never happens. But without the proper caution, the water can start boiling while your back is turned." Something subtle laced its way through Haru's tone, and Hiyori didn't even pretend to understand it. All she knew was that she didn't much like the way Haru was speaking. "Hiyori," she murmured. "I think… I think something terrible is about to happen."

"What makes ya think that?"

"Can't you feel it?" she demanded, turning to the vizard with a desperate look in her eyes. "There's something hanging in the air, just hanging there like a corpse or some kind of humidity, and it's so unsettling that I can't even begin to guess what it is."

"Well, I can tell ya that," Hiyori answered.

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's yer damn imagination gettin' ahead of you again."

"Nani?"

"Either that, or ya've been training just a mite too long down here and yer senses are starting to operate on some kind of different level."

"That just makes me sound crazy," Haru retorted. She nearly fell over trying to evade the strike that shot towards her neck.

"Yer crazy as it is, keeping all these secrets. That reminds me, I gotta find out just what the hell yer planning before ya leave later today."

"I said I wasn't planning anything! What part of that don't you understand?" Haru dipped as a foot flew towards her face her face. She was lucky to evade the strike entirely.

"Yer lying right through yer teeth. Better be careful, or I'll knock them clean out of yer head."

"Hiyori-san, I swear… I'm not…" But then that feeling settled in again, the dread and the awful guilt at what she really did plan to do. There was still the option to back out if she came to the conclusion that it was just too extreme, but the likelihood of her doing so was very slim. _It is entirely reasonable… I have analyzed it from all logical standpoints, and there is absolutely no reason for me to hesitate, none except… _She shook the image of that relaxed yet pained expression out of her mind. It was utterly impossible that she had been the cause of those emotions, whether through her own moment of unrestraint or through something entirely different.

"What's with that look?"

"Eh?" Haru inquired, leaping out of her skin. "Ah, Hiyori-san… I wasn't aware that you were still here."

"Ya had that look on yer face… ya know, the one when yer planning to do something really stupid." Hiyori had to duck to avoid the blow flying at her head. Though the sword was still sheathed, she didn't feel like enduring another head trauma delivered by Suzaku and her wielder.

"You're mistaken," Haru said bluntly. "And if you've got one iota of sense in that thick skull of yours, then you will stop pestering me about it." She took several steps away, her posture unveiling that she was in no way prepared for a counterattack, but some impulse caused Hiyori to hold back. Haru seemed absorbed in something else entirely, something not as distant or abstract as her own thoughts, almost as if she expected something. "Hiyori-san, I want you to promise me something, and you must do so now; any later will be too late." She turned back her hands folded around her sword as they had been in the old days, but now, the long tail of her hair arced through the air as she turned. Hiyori couldn't help but admire the liberation the scene conveyed. "Swear that you'll never doubt my allegiance to the cause of saving this world and Soul Society."

"What're you getting at, Haru? I mean, can ya even do anything to…"

"Just promise me." Her voice dropped to nothing more than a whisper, and though she held her sword in a docile manner, her shoulders were squared like those of any proud military officer about to march off to his final mission.

"Yer scaring me, Haru. Ya really are. Ya must be dabbling in some pretty serious shit to ask me for something like that." The dark and dreadful thing dragging itself across Haru's gaze suddenly disappeared as Haru whirled around and pointed her eyes in a deliberately chosen direction. She was glancing up and facing east, where the entrance to the vizard's lair was located. "The hell is up with you? Ya seem so tense all of a sudden…" But as Hiyori spoke, she noticed it, too… the vicious aura drifting through the air, tainted with bloodlust, and she suddenly felt the need to stand closer to Haru.

"Kuso… if only I had twenty."

"Twenty what?"

"At twenty percent, I would possess at least some shred of certainty in this…"

"But yer already at twenty!"

"That's right…" she murmured, as if reminded of something. "By Soul Society's standards, I am at twenty… unfortunately, they did not consider the possibility that I have other limiters on my power."

"Other limiters? Haru, what the hell're you getting at? Oy, get back here!"

"Gomenasai, Hiyori, but the matter is pressing. Please tell the others I bid them farewell. If I ever come back here again, I promise to bring souvenirs!"

"Baka! Don't get yerself killed fighting that thing! Let Shinji take care of it! Oy, Haru!" Before these requests could even sink in, the shinigami had vanished from sight, leaving a perplexed Hiyori scratching her head. "Honestly… if I gotta go out there and save yer ass myself, I'm gonna be pissed beyond all reason. Then again, that ain't my job… I got someone to do that for me, and he actually _enjoys _it…"

* * *

_This reiatsu…_ Haru paused for the third time and nearly sank to the ground. Ever since departing from the vizard, the mark on her back had buzzed with a continual and gradually increasing pain. She had been forming the image of who it was in her mind as she raced closer and closer to the source, and in that moment, the weight of that person's identity fell on her. She pushed herself away from the wall with a wince and continued on. Thankfully, the streets were deserted save for that intense reiatsu. _It's affecting me… _The hand clutching her sword was trembling incessantly. _Kuso… I can't… _She couldn't keep going, but she had to. Using shunpo, she arrived to the point where she sank to her knees. _I can barely breathe… but why does this reiatsu feel so different than it normally does? Why does it remind me of… _She couldn't bear to think of the overbearing suffocation of that man anymore than she could allow herself to rest for more than a moment. _Time is of the essence, _Haru reminded herself as she got to her feet.

Suddenly, the overwhelming reiatsu plummeted to an incredibly low level, which eased her movement and augmented her worry. Something new settled in, no less unfamiliar yet more distressful than the first force that had plagued her. Haru bolted into an open area and slowed gradually to a stop. Her breaths hitched as she surveyed the scene, and her mouth went entirely dry. Her mind raced to process what her eyes took in, but it only began after a scream tore past lips that didn't belong to her. Only then could she form the words.

_My vice captain is on the ground, badly wounded or worse, and Hinamori-san is shocked at the sight of blood, so shocked that she can't contain it… no wonder after what Aizen did to her. And that espada… _A wicked grin spread across his face as he raised his bloody hand and suddenly disappeared once the horrible noise died away. Haru moved with equal quickness to intercept him, tearing her sword from its sheath and gritting her teeth under the force of the blow. Hinamori seemed to come to at that precise moment, blinking the tears away from her eyes. They still didn't possess a single shred of thought. "Tai… taichou…"

"Hinamori-san… move."

"But… but Takumi…"

"That's an order!" It was the first time she had spoken that way. Haru let her blade slide aside and leapt backwards, fortunately striking nothing but empty air. She watched the sword go down in front of her, crushing the asphalt and imprinting a grisly web of cracks in it. One glance ensured Hinamori was at a safe distance, but that was all she had time to ascertain. She perceived the blow and barely weaved her way around it, but she didn't expect him to raise a foot and thrust it into her stomach. An irony taste permeated her mouth as she slid backwards and sagged to one knee, gasping for breath as one violet eye peered out. _I almost beat him before, but that was when… I almost let go of the one thing holding me back. I'm… _she swallowed the rest of her coughs after expelling only one. _Like this, I'm useless. _

Instinct probed her to stand and raise her sword, but it was thrown aside as if no threat at all. She could almost hear Suzaku cry as it struck the pavement and tumbled a distance that was brief yet impossible to cross. Slowly, Haru's eyes fixed on her opponent. Despite her sorry condition, she managed a smile as she wiped the blood away from her mouth. "You again, sexta espada?"

"The name's Grimmjow Jeagerjaques." Haru moved her head so the sword went past her, then flashed another step backwards. "You don't seem so high and mighty now." She shot him a glare and finished mopping the blood away from her chin. "Come on… didn't ya say you were gonna kill me next time I went after him?" He pointed to Takumi with his sword, and the amount of blood on the pavement caused her head to reel. "Well, I did it. Come on… show me what ya got, chibi roku."

"Chibi… roku?" Her head buzzed with thoughts as he came back into sight and made another attempt at taking off her head. Haru clumsily stumbled around it and every other strike that was meant to end her. There was nothing more she could do. _Kuso… he did some damage with that kick. In this condition, I will not take another strike._ The blade lacerated her right arm, but not deep enough to be a serious wound. _I'm losing speed… and my sight is starting to blur. _Her eyes burned with the effort it took to watch the sword as it cut the air in front of her to ribbons. She blinked, her vision cleared, and it was with a sick feeling that she perceived the tears running down her face. She hesitated for a moment, and the sword caught the bridge of her glasses, throwing them from her face. The light shone off of them as they silently conveyed their apologies as they drifted through the air. She watched them descend, transfixed, and a naked feeling sunk into her. She had enough time to peer towards him before she felt herself shoved backwards and out of the sword's way.

When Haru struck the ground, she considered staying there for her own sake. Takumi was probably dead, and Hinamori had probably taken the opportunity to run. Only when she dared to open her watery eyes again did reality prove any different than her own thoughts. Twisting her body, she put weight on her right arm, regretted it due to yesterday's battle with Hiyori, and rose. Her legs were sprawled out, but she pivoted the rest of her body on her hips in order to study the ivory silhouette of her savior. "I… Ishi-nii…"

"You should run, Haru-sama," he murmured without looking back. "I can't hold him off much longer." A slight crack worked its way through the air, and with the suddenness most of the day's events possessed, she became aware of the shining web extended from his left arm. She recognized the technique and bowed her head momentarily. Her eyes first wandered to her glasses, miraculously unharmed, then to the motionless Takumi laying twisted on the pavement, then to Hinamori, who was still there and begging Haru with her eyes from a safe distance. It took a moment of searching because her eyes ignited at the sight of Takumi, but she finally found what she was looking for. "Haru-sama… go quickly."

"I can't," she answered.

"What?"

"I can't just leave you here. What if…" She swallowed the sob in her throat. "What if you wind up like him?"

"It's all right if it's for you." Haru's eyes plummeted. "Now… go." Another crack. The Ginrei Kojaku was beginning to break, and she knew he couldn't last much longer than he had, not against an espada with that much reiatsu. Haru peered to her left arm and saw the cross hanging there. _What can I do… like this? Limited so low, I can barely stand to use the regular forms, let alone the one risen form I am familiar with. Mizuhi is a defensive technique and will do very little good. Then again… what is the use of considering forms when Suzaku is so far away? _She glared at the cross on her arm. _There has to be something!_

"If you don't move, I'll kill you."

"That isn't very likely, espada. I've been through too much to die so quickly." Ishida's arm rose slightly, but he stopped when he perceived a crack. "You see, I suffered greatly to get these powers back. I haven't used them as much as I'd like to yet."

"I don't really give a damn how much you've used them!" Haru watched the sword rise to prepare the final blow, barely perceptible through a curtain of tears that drew across her eyes. Her body moved by instinct, shifting into a crouch as she reached for the first weapon she set her hand on and extended it. The sword paused in mid-swing, and a bewildered Ishida took a moment to perceive the sudden shift in the shadows. His eyes fell on one glowing mass of spirit particles and ran along its length until he found Haru with a look of pure venom filling her expression.

"If you so much as lay a finger on my nii-san…" she said in a dark tone, thrusting her gaze towards Grimmjow. "I'll kill you." Gritting his teeth, he slowly backed off the end of the blue-white mass that had pierced his side, growling in pain as he finally staggered off of it. "Don't forget that I am your target, and don't you dare drag anyone else into this… not Takumi, not Ishi-nii, not Hinamori-san, and certainly not Byakuya-sama. I'll cut you up beyond recognition and burn your corpse to ashes before you can even think of assailing them any farther than you have!" She flashed out of sight, reappearing by Suzaku a moment later and peering at it for a moment. _Suzaku…_

_Gomenasai, Haru-sama… I didn't mean to slip away._

_Hey… _she said, peering at the luminous blade in her hand for a moment. _Is it all right… to fight like this? _A momentary silence dragged on for eternity. _I said you would be the only sword I ever wielded…_

_But Seele Schneider is not technically a sword, so your promise is not jeopardized in the least._

_Even so… if I use it in the same way as a sword, then…_

_Haru-sama, _Suzaku interrupted. _This is no time for deliberation. I am your sword. Now, wield me. _With one gentle motion of her foot, Haru launched the sword into the air and wrapped her left hand around it. Then, she whirled to the espada and extended it, letting her borrowed quincy weaponry hang at her side. _There is nothing but you and your opponent, Haru-sama. If you listen to your instincts, then you will be able to protect those you hold dear without giving them a second thought. Believe in me, Haru-sama. On broken wings, we fly above the sun that makes us nothing._

Haru smiled at the adaptation of the familiar haiku before responding another of her own. _Mountain bows to hill as clear sky turns to cinders, and the sun descends._ She shut her eyes for a moment and focused every ounce of her energy on Grimmjow, the blue-haired, teal-eyed espada who locked his contemptuous gaze on her.

"Face it, chibi roku. You can't beat me like that… not at twenty percent."

"Oh, I could easily beat you at twenty after what you did to my vice captain."

"Then have at it!"

"Ladies first," she responded, watching the fury spring to his eyes as he perceived the insult. He vaulted forward like a panther diving at its kill and swept his sword through the air. Having no certainty of how effective she would be with two swords, she dodged the first attack, and instinct drove the Seele Schneider forward. He easily moved around it and delivered another strike, which Haru blocked with Suzaku. While their swords were engaged, she twirled the glowing arrow in her hand and swept upward, leaving a satisfyingly deep gash across his chest and shoulder. Just as she was drawing it back, he seized the blade with his hand, regretting the way it ate into his flesh. Then, he simply laughed that diabolical laugh.

"Well, what now, hmm? We're in a stalemate. Guess you'll just have to give up." Haru ignored his ludicrous request and leapt into the air, keeping a tight grip on both of her weapons. When she was about vertical and gazing down at the startled espada in a vehement way, she shifted her hold and threw all her weight downward into her extended left foot, which collided with the shoulder she had just cut. The other, she twisted and swept across his jaw with a force that caused him to release both Suzaku and the pilfered quincy weapon. She thrust the glowing blade into the ground and used it to return to her feet, pulling it out without so much as a second thought and flashing out of sight. She attacked from the back, but he apparently perceived her movement and blocked the hit.

Haru rammed the Seele Schneider into the ground again and extended her right hand, shoving his sword away with some strength that suddenly manifested itself in her body. "Soukatsui." Grimmjow was very fortunate to possess sufficient enough alacrity to dodge her hadou, which shot down the empty street and fizzled out. By the time he returned to make a strike, she had pulled the Seele Schneider out of the ground. She blocked his next swing with both weapons, positioning them in a shape that resembled a cross. Suzaku was in front, the ribbon trailing from its hilt and fading to crimson as it swung to a stop. Grimmjow watched the guard materialize and the blade darken slightly. The three gold bands appeared near the hilt. "If you had half a brain stem, you would withdraw."

"Yeah, and you'd just come quietly instead of making everyone around you suffer."

"When last I looked, I was not the one attacking them."

"But you are the reason!" Grimmjow suddenly augmented the force he was putting into his sword.

"Trust me… you don't want me to fight you seriously. You won't survive."

"You always this charitable, chibi roku? 'Cause that won't get you nothing in a fight against the espada."

"Chibi… roku?" she said again. "Maybe no one told you, but I left the sixth division, and I am not at all small for my age, arigato-gozaimasu." She added the thanks with a heaping dose of sarcasm and twisted Suzaku as she simultaneously pushed him back. "Omote han: seishinhi." Suddenly, a golden flame raced in pursuit of him, but he quickly cut through it and vaulted forward again. They exchanged blows, Haru altering weapons with which to block and strike. Somewhere along the process, the ribbon must have fallen out of her hair because suddenly, it was whirling around her as she moved to and fro, swinging the two swords at incredibly regular intervals. The moment he moved to use cero, she sliced through the pre-formed orb of energy and scattered it before turning the blade and swinging it towards his head. He dodged it by a hair, but then, he had to deal with the Seele Schneider that drove itself into his leg. Once there, Haru didn't immediately remove it but instead twisted the blade at an angle that made him see stars. "Have I made my point, Grimmjow-san?"

"Don't patronize me!" He swung his sword downward, barely catching Haru's unwounded shoulder as she leapt back. She whirled around the subsequent strike, twisting Suzaku so it was facing him before slicing through the air and summoning another wave of her initial form. This time, he instinctively leapt back to avoid the flames, but they dissipated in an instant, parting for their summoner as she dove forward and crossed her two blades. His moved rapidly downward, but Haru was far quicker. The V-like shape they made became inverted as Suzaku raced along the Seele Schneider. By then, the intersection of the blades was at the hilt of his sword, and when she pulled them fully apart, she twisted her zanpakutoh in such a manner that caught her enemy entirely off-guard. His sword flew out of his hand and hit the ground some distance away. One slight readjustment was all it took, and two blades flew in opposite directions, each delivering a wound deep enough to at the very least make him reconsider attacking again. Still, the blows came at a cost to Haru, who staggered to one knee after having expelled so much effort.

Being as close to unconsciousness as she was, Haru deemed it a miracle that she perceived his steps falling towards her. Unfortunately, her sight consumed all of her efforts. All sound suddenly fell away and left in its wake an empty abyss of silence. _It is finished, _she thought, peering at his feet. _I can do no more… I've done everything I could have. Everything that was asked of me… and as long as I've done that, then… _Haru paused and let her eyes fall shut. _It isn't enough, _she concluded. As she began to pull herself to her feet, she became aware of the vibrant red flame of a cero about to be fired. Her eyes shifted up to Grimmjow's empty of fear and loathing. _It is pathetic… that at the end of things, I must be kneeling to my opponent… and even more pathetic still that I can't find it in me to hate him for killing me. _She smiled grimly and waited for the blow…

But it never came. Startled, she let her eyes open and began to perceive sound again. "Shin… Shinji…"

"Stay down this time, Haru. Ya've done enough."

"Hai," she murmured, bowing her head.

"Good. Now that I've got yer attention…" A ruthless look came over Shinji's expression as he twisted the wrist he had so suddenly seized. Haru imagined a crack and shuddered. She had forgotten this side of him. "You get yer sorry ass back to Hueco Mundo, or I swear to the gods I'll finish what she started. I ain't got limiters like her. It'd be easy."

"Do it then!" Grimmjow challenged him.

"There're ladies present," he retorted, twisting the arm further. "I ain't gonna go scarring them anymore than you already have." With one thrust of his foot, Shinji sent the espada flying backwards into a wall. Then, with a composure that rivaled even a noble's, he turned towards a barely coherent Haru. "Hey… you gonna live?"

"I think so," she murmured. "But please worry less about me and more about him." She threw her gaze to Takumi, spotted Hinamori beside him, then immediately swore. "Damn it… if I had been more vigilant, perhaps I could have done something."

"Ain't worth blaming yerself over," he reassured her. "Besides, yer friend there looks like she's good for something." Haru peered up again and noticed the way Hinamori was kneeling with one hand extended. A faint glow drifted off of it and poured onto his most serious wound.

"Medicinal kidou."

"Ya don't sound surprised."

"Hinamori-san's specialty is kidou. I just hope it is enough." Haru rammed Suzaku's point into the ground and pushed herself to her feet, staggering slightly before regaining her balance. She turned around just in time to see Grimmjow disappearing into a garganta, thoroughly defeated and convinced that retreat was his best option for the moment. Then, a heavy hand fell on her shoulder, causing her to wince and shut her eyes. When she opened them again, he was gone. She didn't doubt that he would return before the matter was settled. "Shin… Shinji-san… it's still wounded from yesterday."

"Ya were thinking of doing something stupid," he retorted, turning her around and pushing her forward. She staggered a few steps before glaring back at him. "Pretty fancy work there." Hirako gestured to the Seele Schneider in her right hand. Haru simply shrugged and shook her zanpakutoh to make it revert before sheathing it. "I think yer audience enjoyed it."

"Audience?" Haru whirled around to find that the only ones who were there were her brother and her vice captains. The street was otherwise empty.

"Have fun explaining yerself."

"Shinji!" she shouted, reaching for his necktie, but her hand seized only empty air. "I swear to the gods, if I ever see you again, I'm going to crack your damn skull open! Do you hear me? I'll kill you, you sorry son of a…"

"Haru-sama." She allowed the rest of her malediction to evaporate on the breath of a sigh. She didn't really feel much like speaking to anyone at the moment, especially not her brother. Then again, there were worse people who could have approached her, like Renji or Ichigo, or Byakuya, who would probably have his typical mask of composure on if he was present. Fortunately, none of them were.

"If it has anything to do with the Yamashita clan, then…"

"Would I really approach you with something so trivial at a time like this?" Though his words were delivered in the most amiable tone possible, they still bit into her flesh and made her flinch. "I wasn't aware that you could use two swords so proficiently."

"Seele Schneider isn't a sword," she answered, shifting her reiatsu in order to scatter the spirit particles. They drifted into the air until nothing was left but the metal handle. Haru gazed at it for a moment, then offered it to him. "Sorry I borrowed it without permission. I just acted without thinking, and…"

"You know," he interrupted, "just now, you reminded me of your father. They say he did the same thing you just did, only with two Seele Schneiders instead of one and a zanpakutoh."

"How do you know that?"

"It's something Ryuuken told me." He said the name with disdain but otherwise sounded fond enough of the memory. "Maybe you should keep it."

"Are you serious?"

"Did I sound like I was kidding?" he asked.

"But I'm a shinigami!" Ishida simply smiled and turned away. "Are you listening to me? Damn, you're as dense as Shinji."

"Pardon me, but I wasn't the one holding back."

"You know I'm not authorized to remove my limiter," she answered wryly, dropping her head. "Ten percent… just what the hell can I do with that? Obviously not much." Ishida said nothing; he merely motioned her to follow him.

"Hinamori-san says he might live, but we have to act quickly. He's lost a lot of blood and probably has some broken ribs… oh, and his left eye is gone."

"Gone?" she echoed. "How can it be gone?"

"From what Hinamori-san has said, that espada tore it out or something. She saw the whole thing." Haru's head reeled, but she didn't bother wasting time being dizzy. With little dignity, she tore her cell phone out of her uniform and flipped it open, dialing a number with as much alacrity as her fingers could stand to work with. "Haru-sama…"

"I have to call Sensei. Maybe he can do something."

"Already done. Tessai-san should be here any minute." She paused and glanced up at the sincerity on Ishida's face. "When we get back there, I want you to let Hinamori-san take care of your wounds. Then, I want you to eat something, because I know you haven't." With those words, Haru recalled her empty stomach and wrapped her arms around it. She was still feeling a little nauseous from the abuse she had received, but she begrudgingly murmured that she would try. "You'll do more than try if I have anything to say about it."

"Demo…"

"Don't 'demo' me," he chided, noting the dejected limp with which Haru walked. "If you aren't going to make it back, then I'll just have to carry you."

"That is not necessary." Haru had her doubts about being able to make it back to Urahara's shop in her condition, but she figured it would worry Byakuya much less if she came in on her own two feet, though whether her body would cooperate or not remained to be seen.

"Haru-sama?"

"Hai?"

"Arigato," he murmured. "You saved my life, but more importantly, you've given me some sort of hope for the future. If you can fight that way at ten percent, then I honestly hope you'll one day fight at one hundred."

"There is no pride in partial victory, and no victory in partial effort," she quipped. "Though by that logic, today's dual would also be counted a loss. That's twice the bastard has beaten me. He will not be so fortunate if we should ever cross blades again." By then, they had drawn close enough to Takumi to fall into an uneasy silence. Haru's head reeled again as she examined the motionless heap on the ground with a tearful Hinamori kneeling over the corpse, doing what she could to restore some of its former health. Haru didn't dare ask how he was. She could tell just by looking at him that things weren't going well. In fact, they were going just about as well as things were with her. She raised a hand and stifled a cough, but she could already taste the blood at the back of her throat. She couldn't help but silently pray for Tessai's hasty arrival.

"Haru-sama…"

"Don't talk to me right now," she murmured.

"I was merely going to ask who that strange man was… you know, the one who was here and gone. He seemed like he knew you."

"An acquaintance," Haru responded, coughing roughly into her hand. With every breath that escaped her, she felt less and less a part of reality. Eventually, she got so dizzy that she had no choice but to kneel and continue expelling blood into her hand. A faint dripping soon made its way to her ears, and with bleary vision, she noted the crimson stain at her feet.

"Haru-sama!" Ishida quickly knelt beside her, putting one arm around her shoulders and pulling her wrist back. His cold glare immediately snapped to him. "You call this a little hurt?"

"I'll live," she answered. "At least that much is certain. I only wish it were certain for him." She cast a doleful eye on Takumi, then shifted her gaze to the intensely focused Hinamori, who seemed hell bent on doing all she could. Just as the nobility of those acts crossed her mind, the scene vanished, and her senses caved in beneath her.

She was taken to her inner void, where she stood alone and threw one white shadow across the imperceptible black walls. Suzaku's presence was close by, but she couldn't tell exactly where the avian was. "Suzaku!" At least she had full strength there. "Suzaku, where are you?" The wind stirred slightly behind her, and there was the phoenix, hovering in the air. Other than a blazing twinkle in her azure eyes, the bird was entirely quiescent. Haru expelled a weighty sigh and played with the sleeves of her white yukata, the one she always wore when she slipped into her own consciousness. "If you're mad about the Seele Schneider, then…"

"I have already stated that your use of it does not in any way violate our contract."

"What is it, then?"

Suzaku hesitated, then threw her eyes towards Haru again. After several failed attempts at beginning, she finally spoke. "What you did was reckless, but not as reckless as what you were about to do. If Hirako-san hadn't been there, then you would have followed that espada all the way to Las Noches, wouldn't you have?" Haru's gaze darted to her shadow. Clearly, she had no desire to answer the question. "What were you thinking, diving into a fight like that?"

"Takumi will be my vice captain if I make it back alive. He will be no good to me if I let him die."

"Baka," the phoenix retorted, swimming through the air with her wings pinned at her sides until she drifted into Haru's view again. "The time is not right, nor are the circumstances. You must be patient, Haru-sama."

"I'm shocked you aren't scolding me for my recklessness regarding this whole ploy."

"I am your blade, Haru-sama, but I am also your wings. I will carry you anywhere you wish to go. Simply believe in me as I believe in you." Haru nodded slightly, then waved her hand to scatter the void. She breathed the cool, moist air as a gentle rain descended upon her, wetting her skin and sliding down her face. "Haru-sama…"

"Gomenasai," she murmured, sniffling as she ran a sleeve across her eyes. "I just can't help it."

"Are you certain you can do this? You know… turn your back on everything here?"

"I don't really have much of a choice, do I?"

"Nonsense." Suzaku drifted to Haru's shoulder and alighted, folding her wings and ruffling her damp feathers. "There is always a choice." Haru's violet eyes appeared, teary but slightly comforted. "You are still upset about Takumi, and not just because he will be your vice captain. You consider him a friend, if I am not mistaken. Though he seems a bit dark and a bit contumacious, you are right to trust him with the authority you plan to give him."

"Do you think he'll live?"

"What a foolish question, Haru-sama. How am I to know such things?" she inquired, fluttering off of Haru's shoulder and into the rainy sky. Haru followed with her arms at her sides, stepping across the endless lake, stopping to admire a lotus every now and again. She crouched on the surface, resting her palm against it and watching the resulting ripple diffuse and fade away. "Haru-sama!"

"Coming!" she returned, bolting after the avatar form of her zanpakutoh. The bird perched on the branch of a tree growing out of the water and watched Haru as she leapt into it. "Ano… Suzaku, can I ask you a question?"

"You can ask me anything you like."

"Have you ever seen my reiraku?" A pair of azure eyes flickered towards her. "I mean… I decided a while ago that the color of it wasn't important as long as I can still be a shinigami, but it might be worth telling me if you know anything." Haru peered towards the bird, up her draping tail feathers, and though Suzaku was incapable of making facial expressions, she could tell by the look in the bird's eyes that she was smiling.

"When you are ready, we shall see it together."

"When will that be?"

"Perhaps I should ask you a question," she answered. "When will you no longer be afraid of your other side?"

"What do you mean?" Haru inquired. "I've released bankai twice! I even used a form…"

"Yes, when no one could see it. Besides that, you kept your reiatsu at ten percent release, as dictated by your limiters."

"Suzaku, I'm going to ask you another question, and I want you to answer this one." Haru's tone became serious, and she let one foot dangle from the branch she was sitting on. A bead of water slid off of her toe and into the water below. "You know what the cross on my back is. It isn't just for show or to demonstrate my quincy heritage. Other than you, Sensei and Ishi-nii are the only other people who knows its true nature. The trouble is, despite our investment of many hours into making various statistical calculations, none of us can figure out exactly what would happen if I simply let the cross fade. So," she said with a sly smile, "can you tell me, Suzaku? Will it really rip my body to shreds or destroy you?" Suzaku tilted her head, then turned away. "You don't know either, then."

"It is hard to say what will happen," the bird answered. "If the reaction is unfavorable, then you will likely die, but there is a possibility that that will not be the case."

"My current reiatsu is already difficult to control at times. If it increased beyond fifty percent, there is a possibility that it could shift too far and cause irreversible internal damage. Still, I would take that risk if I were certain that it would not damage you."

"Think long and hard before you go through with it, Haru-sama. I am certain an opportune moment will arise in the future." Haru nodded her head and peered at her reflection in the pool below. It shifted for a few moments, then became absolutely still. "Matte, Haru-sama."

"What is it?"

"Earlier, I said I was your wings. You remember, yes?"

"How could I ever forget, Suzaku?" she inquired, tilting her head to peer at the bird.

"While it is true in one sense, it is false in another. You should know that you have wings of your own. I expect you to use them should a time ever come when I cannot carry you." Haru nodded solemnly and peered at the water.

"Then you are sanctioning my use of the Seele Schneider in conjunction with you?"

"It was your father's style, was it not?" She couldn't help but smile at the comment. "I don't want you to forget how to use one sword, but being able to use two simultaneously could prove a handy tactic to have. I highly recommend you pursue this technique and continue to develop it."

"Unfortunately, the only one who could train me is dead," she sighed. "I suppose I could train myself, but it will be difficult to duplicate a fighting style I have only seen a handful of times."

"Perhaps your aim should not be emulation. Perhaps it should be… adaptation." Suzaku chose the word carefully. "Use what you know of the technique and fill in the gaps. You are not a fool, Haru-sama, though you can do some very foolish things. At least think about it."

"I will." She leaned forward, then paused again.

"We can't do much about him, so don't waste your effort worrying." Haru smiled bitterly.

"How did you know I was thinking about Takumi?"

"Because I am you in a sense. Anyway… if you think you can do something, then perhaps you should try." A bewildered pair of violet eyes wandered to her at the presentation of an impasse, a paradox that immediately drove her to demand exactly what she meant. The phoenix pretended not to hear and simply turned away. Haru knew she would receive no answer, that she would have to take the pains to find one that would satisfy her. The rain, still coming down in a gentle mist, settled on whatever surface it first touched, sending its preceding cousins rolling off of skin and branches. She waved her feet for a moment and hummed a song to herself, something that she hadn't done in a long time.

"Suzaku."

"Hai?"

"Arigato." The phoenix bowed her head as Haru launched herself off the branch and disappeared beneath the water's surface. As the fluid resettled and the immense ripples extended, Suzaku preened her feathers and let her mind wander. Haru certainly was intelligent, and she had come very far in eight years. Still, she had much to learn about Suzaku and about herself. These thoughts were ephemeral, however, because she couldn't help but revel in the rain she had seen so little of in the recent days.

Whew… you made it. This isn't as long as some chapters, but still, you made it to the finish line. Free cookies for you in the form of the infamous end-of-chapter Japanese lesson!

Hai: Yes

Nani: What

Nande: Why

Iie: No

Ano: Japanese equivalent of "um"

Urusai: Shut up

Baka: Stupid

Kuso: Japanese swear word. ^_^

Gomenasai: Semi-formal apology

Chibi Roku: Little six, a.k.a. Grimmjow's manner of addressing Haru

Arigato-gozaimasu: Formal thanks

Demo: But

Matte: Wait

Arigato: Regular thanks

I am giving myself a deadline, especially since next week is spring break: I promise you at least one chapter by next Saturday. If I do not meet this deadline, then you may all fire me in true Donald Trump fashion. Why in a week? Because I think anyone who made it through this chapter in one sitting is going to need that long to recover. XP Thanks again to my lovely readers, and as always, I will address you in the opening and closing A/Ns next chapter!


	16. Chapter 16: Limits

A/N: In accordance with my promise, I have power-edited and have finally completed this chapter! And why… I do declare! I've had epic amounts of feedback for the last chapter. Do you know how _incredibly_ happy that makes me? ^_^ I'm practically dying of elation! Well, it could be a combination of feedback, nice weather, officially accepting an assistantship, and getting notifications that four of my poems and one of my short stories are going to be published… life chooses now to be awesome. Go figure. XP Well, since you guys took the extra time to review, I'll take some extra time to thank you individually. My gratitude goes out, as usual, to my readers, as well, because my chapters definitely do not take five minutes to read (do they?), and anyone who takes the time to put up with me should be duly thanked. Kudos to both readers and reviewers! I'll get to writing those review responses immediately! And without further ado, I set you loose on Chapter 16, on which I have duly worked my ass off. Please enjoy!

* * *

_Chapter 16: Limits_

The first thing Haru felt when she finally came to was the slight elevation of her head. With difficulty, she opened her eyes and shifted slightly to find that she was in Urahara's house. More precisely, she was in the guest room she and Hinamori shared. The sun was setting, spilling its last rays through the window and stretching across her. She found herself covered with a blanket and noticed a surprising absence of pain when she sat up, though she was still mildly dizzy. After rubbing sleep's warmth away from her eyes, she tilted backwards and laid down until she fully awakened. For some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her. Opening her eyes again, she peered at the ceiling and let out one low groan as her head throbbed. "How… did I get here?" she wondered aloud.

"Yamashita-taichou." The voice belonged to Hinamori, which coaxed Haru to turn her head and peer at her bewildered companion. "You're awake… I have to go get someone…"

"Stay," she interrupted, turning her head slowly towards the window on the other side of the room. A red bar of sun stretched across her body, covered by a heavy blanket to keep the chill at bay. She shifted her arms and realized they were confined by sleeves. Drawing one out from under the covers, she found that she was wearing a sleeping kimono. Just as she was preparing to sigh, she recalled with a twisting gnaw of her stomach the events that led her to that condition. She leapt up without a moment's notice, drawing an anxious objection from Hinamori, who immediately moved forward and put her hands on Haru's shoulders, trying to press her back down. "Takumi," Haru said after struggling for a moment. "Where is Takumi? Is he still alive?" Hinamori avoided her eyes. "Onegai… you have to tell me."

"Taichou, your condition is delicate right now."

"I don't care," she answered, wringing Hinamori's shoulder with a trembling hand. "I don't care," she repeated, this time more calmly. "I'll be fine, no matter what the news. An uncertain fate is far worse than a certain one, even if that certainty is bad news, so please, just tell me." Hinamori's mind grappled for the right words while Haru gazed at her in such a way that robbed her of the ability to speak. Despite the fact that her captain was sitting right in front of her, the vulnerability was absolutely unbelievable. She knew she had never seen a captain-level shinigami make that expression, and it was highly likely that she never would again. Haru's grip on her shoulder tightened and reminded her of her task.

"He is… stable for now. Still, judging from his injuries, I'd say he has a long road to recovery. With his eyesight impaired, it will be difficult for him to serve as your vice captain." Haru sighed with relief and at the same time took note of Hinamori's all too obvious resentment, particularly when she referred to Takumi as her vice captain.

"That's why there are two of you," Haru answered casually, leaning back into a laying position and folding her hands behind her head.

"Come again?'

"Before I even agreed to become a captain, I made it quite clear to Yamamoto-soutaichou that I would need the extra help. After all, the fifth division did just undergo a despicable duplicity, and neither Takumi nor I know much about the inner workings of Soul Society. Therefore, I put forth the request that, for the time being at least, I keep you close to me. Whether you become my vice captain or not, your presence will be a great help; it will quicken the stability of the fifth division, and it will ease the burden of the huge influx of paperwork that will likely accompany my promotion."

"He accepted your appeal, but still… what do you plan to do with me?" Haru was currently incapable of answering such a blunt question. It made her head whirl slightly, even though she was laying down. For a moment, she shut her eyes. Then, she stretched an arm over them. "If the sight of me irritates you, then…"

"Hinamori-san," she murmured. "Your presence is in no way disagreeable."

"Then why won't you look at me?"

"Because I'm not entirely sure how I should answer your question." Haru's violet eyes flashed towards Hinamori's. They locked on her for a prolonged moment of scrutiny before returning to the ceiling. "There are many difficult things that accompany a promotion to captainhood, but among all these, the one I loathe most… is having to choose between the two of you. If I don't, then you will have to fight each other in order to determine whose power is better suited to the seat. Still, it seems like an impasse from all angles. If I demote you, it wouldn't feel right, penalizing you for a promise I made. At the same time, I cannot simply betray my promise to Takumi." Exasperated, she closed her eyes and returned her arm to its original position.

"Taichou, why… are you so concerned about hurting me?"

"Because you've been hurt enough, and if possible, I would like to avoid hurting you more. Takumi has, too. That's why I asked him to be my vice captain. I suppose having the name he does, he has endured more pain and suffering than most of us have… not to belittle your situation." Haru readjusted her arms and sunk under the covers, then sat up with such alacrity that her head spun and she had to rest half of her weight on Hinamori's shoulders just to continue sitting up.

"Taichou, don't move so fast," Hinamori scolded. "I told you your condition was delicate."

"I need to place a phone call to my so-called family. If they begin harassing Ishi-nii…"

"I believe it has already been done. Ishida-san stepped out five minutes ago to make said call, just before you woke up."

"Souka," Haru responded, sinking down again, then slowly raising her hand to her eyes, studying every highlight and shadow on her flesh. "It's strange… I feel as if I haven't fought at all, even though I am rather tired. You certainly do good work, Hinamori-san."

"Oh, I could never do something like this." The girl rung her hands gently and peered out the window, capturing the fading light with her optics. "Have you… ever heard of phenomenon rejection?"

"I am familiar with the term, but I'm afraid I've never encountered someone with such abilities."

"Until now," Hinamori stated. "There was a girl in here a few moments ago, and she has… the ability to reject wounds. I'm not sure I'm explaining it correctly, but I do know that she healed your wounds and restored you to health, so I'm not the one you should be praising."

"Nonsense. You kept Takumi alive when no one else could, even though your own safety was at risk. Furthermore, you accompanied me back here, and you sat with me while I was still unconscious. Perhaps I praised you for the wrong reasons at first, but that doesn't mean you don't deserve any acknowledgement at all." Haru raised her eyes to Hinamori and nodded slightly. "Arigato. If I could sit up, I would bow, but I can't really move much at the moment."

"I… iie… I don't… that is to say…" She studied her captain's placid face, examined the nutmeg locks laid out on the pillow, and came to the conclusion that her captain had never looked that vulnerable before. "D… douitashimashite," she answered at last. Haru's smile broadened a bit. She raised her hand momentarily and observed its movements as she closed her fingers. Then, she slung her arm across her eyes again.

"Kuso… I am still at ten percent." Another thought must have crossed her mind because an inexplicable smile spread across her expression. "Who carried me here?"

"Tessai-san would have, demo…"

"Demo?" Haru inquired, suddenly taking interest in the answer she would be given.

"He… brought Ichigo with him. Ishida was a little reluctant to let him carry you, but he insisted. He said he owed it to you because you had once granted him the same favor. They argued a bit, but Ichigo said he would do it whether Ishida gave him permission or not."

"Souka." Haru's arm returned to its position as another sigh escaped her lips. "Was… Byakuya-sama angry?"

"Furious is more like," she retorted, "though I couldn't tell why."

"I just think he hates seeing me like this." Haru recalled a brief tidbit of their conversation from the night before, when they had isolated themselves in the sanctity of a hotel room. They were laying in bed side by side, Haru curled into a felinesque ball, Byakuya with one hand around hers. She was intent in soaking up the warmth of the moment, her eyes shut, as she listened to his breathing grow slower and shallower as he drifted closer to sleep. She was beginning to near the brink of unconsciousness herself when suddenly, desperately, he pulled her against his chest. A gasp of surprise left her lungs, but otherwise, she made no objection to their close proximity.

"Byakuya-sama?" Haru peered up at him, her eyes widening at the expression on his face.

"Can I ask you a favor?"

"You sound hesitant," she murmured, taking one handful of his yukata and pushing her face against his chest. "It worries me." His other hand crept behind her head and stroked it gingerly as she drew a breath and exhaled. As she began reflecting on how nice he smelled, his deadpan shattered the silence of the night and its accompanying thoughts.

"Haru-kun, I have seen you vulnerable in the past, but please do not show me that face again."

"Why not?" she inquired. "Are you worried about controlling yourself? That's what bakudo is for."

"Iie, it isn't that," he murmured. "It is because it reminds me how vulnerable I can be at times." Haru peered up at him, noting the conflict in his eyes, but her observation was cut short by the pale fingers dragging across her back. "You tolerated my touch earlier, Haru-kun…"

"I promised I would, and I never break promises when I can avoid it."

"Souka." He used that low tone that typically drove her to the brink of insanity as he relinquished his source of amusement, allowing Haru to peer up at him again. For once, his expression was unreadable. "That aside, for you to be able to joke at a time like this is almost appalling, and yet it provides me with some comfort."

"That idiot," Haru stated, smoothing her hand over her face as she returned to the present. "Is it wrong to feel guilty for troubling him, Hinamori-san?"

"I don't think so." She paused for a moment and fidgeted as if she had something on her mind. Haru's eye suddenly appeared, burning with some hidden fire that had been kindled deep within her and had permeated her entire being since.

"I'm afraid to ask you for anything at the moment, but do you think you could retrieve Byakuya-sama? I need to speak with him." Hinamori remained where she was, and Haru did not chide or berate her disobedience. Instead, she merely turned over on her side to hide the anxiety that overshadowed her expression, shutting her eyes tightly as a shudder raced through her frame. _To think I've let him defeat me twice… that is an affront on my pride. I swear on my honor as a shinigami not to let him defeat me again, no matter what the cost. _Haru pulled the blankets over her head and disappeared beneath them. She didn't want Hinamori to see the tears that had formed in the corners of her eyes and that threatened to roll down her face at any given moment.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you always… call him by his first name?" Haru emerged and peered in her general direction but didn't turn fully to Hinamori's silhouette. "Fujiwara Takumi is your vice captain. Don't you think it's inappropriate to address him as an equal or a close friend so soon after you agreed to promote him?"

"It is not so strange for me," Haru answered. Upon perceiving the quaver in her own voice, she silently imprecated her weaknesses and buried herself in the covers again, having no desire to unveil it to Hinamori or to anyone else who may have entered at the moment. Once she closed off the outside world, she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and recalled the words Suzaku had spoken to her only moments before. _What am I supposed to do? _It was the one thing the phoenix had never specified and had left Haru to contemplate. _I can't just let him suffer. At the same time, this complicates things immensely. Can I even have a half-blind vice captain serving me? Will he do me any good? When it comes down to nothing more than logic, the probability of that is highly unlikely. Then, there was that reiatsu I felt earlier… _Haru shuddered at the mere recollection, balling up even tighter and shaking her head rebelliously. _No… I can't abandon him just because I know next to nothing about his abilities. He has stayed by me this long without knowing the truth of the matter. It would be unfair of me to discard him for something like this, but it was just so… _Haru knew what she wanted to call it, but she dared not for fear that the label would give birth to some monstrous odium nothing could overcome.

A sob pierced the silence, and Haru had to wonder whether or not it came from her own throat, but she found she had successfully kept her jaw shut. Curious and ignorant of the tears painting her cheeks, she emerged to find Hinamori bowing her head and trying to stifle her own anxieties. Immediately, Haru sat up and shook her head, trying vainly to dry her eyes. "Hinamori-san…"

"It's my fault," she managed. "It's my fault. If I hadn't followed him, if I hadn't distracted him, then… then maybe he would have…"

"Take it easy," Haru said calmly. "I'm not sure I understand. It is difficult to process a story when one begins in the middle. If you tell it from the beginning… that is, if it isn't too much to ask…" For the first time, Hinamori peered up at Haru. When she was given undeniable proof that the situation was difficult on her captain as well, the awe nearly crushed her, causing more tears to follow. "Hinamori-san, please don't…"

"Will you," interrupted the vice captain, daring to raise one eye. Haru stopped speaking and never mentioned manners or formalities. "Will you… one day trust me enough to call me by my first name?" Startled, Haru allowed the emotion to drain out of her face with a sigh. Then, a placid smile spread over her features.

"Is that what this is about? You're worried that, because I call you Hinamori-san, I don't trust you?" She managed a weak nod.

"It's kind of stupid, isn't it?"

"Not at all. I like to be aware of things like this so I can consider the best way to correct them and avoid misunderstandings." Haru let her eyes fall shut again and remained silent while she pondered the matter. "The way I refer to someone is not directly linked with trust, you know. I still call Urahara-sensei by his familial name, and the only reason I am on a first name basis with Shinji-san is because I consider him family."

"Then Takumi?"

"Takumi…" Haru tilted her head upwards and raised a finger to her chin, then peered to Hinamori and smiled blankly. "I'm not really sure. I suppose I see much of myself in Takumi, a pariah, a subject of discussion, a being who suffers because of his true power and strives to hide it for fear of being abandoned. Yet in keeping it a secret, he draws more attention than he intends to and drives more people away. He has no choice, though. The direction he takes is irrelevant since either approach will lead him to the same destination." She paused, and a look of consternation spread across her expression. "Would you like to know the real reason I call you Hinamori-san? It isn't because I don't trust you. It is because you are nothing like a peach. You aren't as soft as you're letting on. I know you possess more than enough strength to pull your own weight in bottle. What's more, you aren't hard inside despite what life has done in its attempt to harden you. You have the same good heart I see in Takumi. To have come through your own trials the way you have… I truly respect your perseverance. Nevertheless…" Haru paused again and turned fully towards the silent vice captain, who sat in reverence of the words she had just been given. "If you would like me to, I can begin calling you by your first name… Momo-san."

Never in her life had Hinamori thought the sound of her own name would be so liberating. She bowed her head as a fresh wave of tears escaped her eyes. "Arigato-gozaimasu, Yamashita-taichou."

"There is no need to thank me," Haru stated. "If anything I'm doing ever bothers you, then don't be shy; speak up. I'm relatively new to this whole captain thing, and I feel like your experience in the Gotei 13 will make you an invaluable advisor while I'm struggling to accept my responsibilities."

"You don't credit yourself enough," she stated, raising her head and drying her eyes. Hinamori didn't look directly at Haru for fear of beginning to cry again, but she did grow very serious with a suddenness that bewildered Haru entirely. "Takumi left so suddenly this morning… I didn't think it wise to leave him to his own devices. I was afraid of what he would do, so I followed him. It took me a while to trace his reiatsu, and by the time I had, I realized he was in the heat of battle. When I arrived, he was fully under the control of his zanpakutoh. He had no recognition of anything or anyone. He was driven to fight by the killer instincts his sword possesses. I called out to him, begging him to stop. He turned his head for a moment, and…" Hinamori squeezed her eyes shut and shuttered.

"You saw it happen."

"If I had known what was going to happen, I would have turned my head, but when I close my eyes now, all I see is the espada reaching forward, driving two fingers into his left eye, and slicing him open. I've never seen so much blood. I didn't know what to do, so I screamed. I'm…" She stopped, covering her mouth with her hand as if the recollection nauseated her. "Gomenasai, taichou, for not having the trust you have." An uncomfortable, tense silence settled in the room. When Hinamori peered up, she found Haru staring thoughtfully out the window at the moon hanging in the sky with a dangerous look fluttering across her violet optics. "I will accept any punishment you see fit."

"You aren't the one who will receive the blunt end of my rage, so you don't need to worry," Haru answered. "Takumi will be fine."

"But Tsukabishi-san said he might never wake up!"

"And how many people do you think said you would never wake up?" Haru demanded, whirling to the startled girl. "Toushiro-san never gave up on you. Well, I'm not giving up on Takumi, not now, not ever. He is my vice captain. For me, that is a good enough reason." Haru threw the blankets back and rose to her feet, ignoring the passing wave of dizziness that swept over her. What she couldn't ignore was the grasp on her sleeve.

"Taichou, he hasn't fully settled down yet! While Takumi is unconscious like this, that thing could kill you! And what about Kuchiki-taichou? Don't you want to speak to him?"

"Byakuya-sama can wait. As for my own wellbeing, I don't care," she answered. "If I waste time being a coward, then I may not be able to do anything for him." Hinamori then peered up at her as if the very proposition that Haru was capable of doing something for the incapacitated, half-dead young man was utterly preposterous. "Do you doubt me, Momo-san?"

"Iie… demo…"

"I need your help to do this, if you are up to it."

"What are you going to do?" Hinamori inquired. Haru turned towards the door and paced forward without providing an answer. Curiosity probed her to follow, along with trepidation. No doubt, this tactic, whatever it was, would undoubtedly drain Haru of what little reiatsu she still possessed. The faint smile on Haru's expression made her shutter.

"We must be absolutely silent and enter the room in secret. You are to stay by the door at all times. This is for your safety more than anything. If that demon or whatever it is in him gets out of control, then I don't want you getting caught in the crossfire."

"What about you?" Haru hesitated to answer. The smile immediately drained from her face.

"If I must, then I'll finish the job Grimmjow-san began."

"You mean kill him? But you can't!"

"Listen," Haru stated, "I don't want to do it, but if I have to, I will. I know Takumi well enough to know that he would rather die himself than kill me while he's in that condition." She thought back to the night he had nearly murdered her and bowed her head. She never wanted to see him make that face again, and he wouldn't if she had anything to say about it. "If you are unwilling to accompany me, then say so now. I will go alone." Hesitantly, Hinamori climbed to her feet, looking at her captain's back with uncertainty. "You are a kidou prodigy of sorts."

"Hai."

"I need two barriers to seal the room and one bakudou on the door to prevent any forced entries until I am finished. I would do these things myself, but what I am about to do requires my complete and undivided focus. If something goes wrong, Takumi may wind up far worse than he began, and I may wind up far worse than he currently is."

"This sounds dangerous."

"It is," Haru stated darkly. "More dangerous than you could ever begin to imagine, but the benefits that may arise from my actions far outweigh the risks. I know I can save him." Haru's confidence was contagious. As she lifted her zanpakutoh from the corner, the Seele Schneider toppled to the floor. She stopped it with her foot, sighing at the gentle rattle it made. After tossing both soundlessly on the futon, she proceeded to unknot the obi holding her yukata together. Hinamori immediately turned around and stared at a dark corner, listening to the rustle of fabric. "Hmm…" Haru stated. "Orihime-san did a wonderful job healing my wounds. I shall have to thank her if I get the chance. Did she attempt to heal Takumi's wounds?"

"Not that I'm aware of. Ishida insisted that she refrain from interfering and let Tsukabishi-san take care of him. He said something about it being for her own safety."

"Then he understands Takumi's condition." Haru straightened herself up and shook her head, relishing the feeling of her hair trailing along the back of her uniform. "Gods willing, he is wise enough to remain quiet. Otherwise, the situation will only grow worse." She laid a hand on the door and pressed one finger to her lips. She cracked it, allowing a sliver of light to peer in, then turned back to Hinamori as she pushed the door fully open and waved her hand. Once exiting, she shut the door behind her and crept down the hall with Hinamori following in her shadow. As they walked, Hinamori realized that she had no idea what Haru was going to do, that she was following because of her lack of knowledge rather than despite it. She could have pulled back at any moment or retrieved someone to stop her, but of her own volition, she chose to keep moving forward. After all, she easily recognized the situation as one in which silence was preferential to anything else, and she, like Haru, earnestly hoped that Ishida would be wise enough to perceive the same fact.

* * *

The room was unsettlingly quiet. Byakuya stared at the grain of the wood that composed the table and pretended to be interested, which wasn't difficult for him. Ishida sat doing the same, though with little success since he kept fidgeting. Urahara's thoughtful eyes peered out from behind his fan. The remaining occupants in the room expressed a mixture of concern and surprise in varying degrees. "Chikusho," Renji muttered. "If the espada start attackin' Karakura regularly, then Seireitei may have to station a captain over here… maybe even two."

"I don't expect they'll come back," Ishida noted, "at least not with Haru-sama leaving."

"Then they'll just go wherever she is."

"Even if that is the case, I believe Haru-kun has demonstrated her skills in battle. To defeat an arrancar at twenty percent is something unheard of among shinigami. As she can function under her limiter, even if it is with averse affects to her consciousness, I believe it goes without saying that she can hold her own."

"I'd simply love to agree with you," Urahara put in, slamming his fan shut and throwing his gaze in Byakuya's general direction, "but the reality of this matter calls for my objection. Haru-sama is not a run-of-the-mill shinigami, as I'm sure you are already aware. Should she fall into the wrong hands and somehow be swayed…"

"Are you saying you doubt her loyalty, Urahara-san?" Ichigo demanded, slamming his hand on the table and throwing his mentor a glare. "I'd bet my life on Haru's loyalty to Soul Society, and that isn't something I'm willing to do often."

"For once, you've said something intelligent," Rukia stated.

"Is there not a possibility, then, that Aizen has ways of swaying her?"

"Are you proposing he's capable of some kind of mind control, then?" Ichigo huffed when the noble said nothing. "Haru's got a good head on her shoulders. Even if he had something like that, she'd be fine. Besides, last I looked, you had no reason to doubt her."

"I am merely taking precautions," Byakuya argued. "Haru-kun is formidable. Should she be abducted and swayed to Aizen's side, then we would all be forced to dread going up against her."

"I'd win, if that were the case."

"Yeah, right… she's already beaten you once. She'd probably beat you again."

"Oi, Renji! Get over here and say that again, dumb ass!"

"Like hell I will! I only take orders from captains, and when last I looked, ya weren't even close to bein' in a captain's league!" For a time, those present watched the entirely senseless argument. In the midst of it, Orihime leaned over towards Ishida, who sat in complete silence with a doleful yet extremely thought-provoking expression on his face.

"Ishida-kun?" At the sound of his name, he gave her a brief glimpse, then glanced away. "Is something the matter?" He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, a clear sign that he was unwilling to speak of the matter. "Is it about Haru-san, or Takumi-san?" Silently, he cursed his transparency, for in truth, both shinigami weighed heavily on his mind.

_That reiatsu… _His eyes narrowed and finally fell shut. _It was nothing but raw killing power. He probably removed his limiter, and even with that, he wound up half-dead. Kuso… with power like that, I stand no chance against an espada. _Ishida's brows knit together as concern washed over him entirely. The memory of the espada's blade pushing against his bow, fracturing several of the minor connections and destabilizing its entire structure, raced through his mind. _If I wish to be of any use in the upcoming battle, then I have to get stronger. Yet… even more unsettling is the fact that Haru, with her output limited to an abysmally low ten percent, managed to fight for that long, even while wounded. _Ishida swore under his breath again. _The gap between our powers has widened so much, I can no longer hope to catch you; because of that, my desire to protect you is not only asinine. It is entirely absurd. Nande… why can't I shake the feeling that you're hiding something from me? This nagging feeling… it is…_

Something in the air shifted suddenly, and Ishida's eyes shot open. Renji ignored the insult Ichigo hurled at him and stared at the wall. "Oi, Renji! You aren't giving up that easily, are you?"

"Quiet," Rukia snapped, driving her fist into his arm. The room fell completely silent. Every now and then, a pair of eyes would meet then quickly divert.

"What happened?"

"As usual, your lack of reiatsu perception is utterly vexing," Ishida responded, pushing his glasses up again. "If you _could _manage to feel it, you would realize that the reiatsu of Fujiwara Takumi just vanished."

"So he's dead, then?"

"I seriously doubt that," Urahara retorted. "Even if Fujiwara Takumi did die, there's something inside him that will keep living in his place. If that were to happen, then he would turn out in much the same way his father did." He hid his troubled expression behind his fan, but the eyes peering out from beneath his hat spoke of knowledge deeper than Ishida's.

"Urahara-dono," Tessai murmured.

"I know," he interrupted, pulling his hat down over his eyes. "At the exact moment the reiatsu disappeared, two high-powered barriers were erected, thus sealing off the room Fujiwara is in."

"What does that mean?" Chad asked.

"It means that someone entered the room," Rukia stated. "Though… I can't say I'm familiar with these barriers. I've never felt anything like them."

"Shouhikuukan and Gekitaikuukan."

"Nii-sama?" Urahara bowed his head lower, and Tessai stirred uncomfortably. "But… I've never heard of them."

"They are forbidden," he answered, as if that justified her lack of knowledge. "Shouhikuukan is designed to prevent any reiatsu in a certain area from escaping, whereas Gekitaikuukan prevents any reiatsu from entering. When used together, they essentially create a small alternate dimension incapable of being influenced by temporarily removing a piece of the world they are cast in. Physically, that piece remains fixed in location, and its time functions exactly the same as it did before the erection of the barriers. The reason it is often deemed an alternate dimension is because the space within is invulnerable to outside influence. However, this space is also incapable of effecting areas around it. The physical contents of that barrier are entirely isolated."

"Byakuya-san, your knowledge of forbidden kidou is immense," Tessai confessed. "I couldn't have explained it better myself."

"It is something I have been known to pursue in my spare time, if only on paper. Still… this troubles me."

"Nande?" Orihime asked.

"Because the techniques are not only forbidden. They are extremely advanced. Usually, only the kidou captain knows the precise way to cast them. One mistake could end in catastrophe," Tessai put in.

"Maybe, but who could've done something like this and keep it contained to such a small area?" Rukia inquired, putting a hand to her chin.

"Perhaps there is a more appropriate question," Urahara stated, "such as, who would ever have need for such a course of action?" Silence fell again, only to be broken by Ishida getting to his feet with rapidity. His action only confirmed what Byakuya was already thinking, and as the weight of this revelation fell on him, he sighed audibly and bent his head. "You may as well sit back down, Ishida-san. It's too late to do anything to stop her."

"How can you just say that?" he demanded, deliberately placing heat in his tone. "This is Haru-sama we're talking about. She isn't just a shinigami; she's my sister, and your pupil. You looked after her for six years, but when she risks her life or puts herself in harm's way, all you ever do is sit there with that nonchalant look plastered on your face." Byakuya peered up, seeing that his temporary host had no intention of explaining anything. Normally, he would have let the situation pass and allowed Ishida to exit, but he felt he owed it to Haru to keep her nominal brother from making a complete fool of himself.

"A river races towards the bottom of a hill, then stands fully still." Ishida paused and peered back.

"Byakuya-san, this is no time for poetry."

"There is always time for poetry," he answered. "Haru-kun left that this morning before she left. She scrawled it on a napkin with one of your peculiar human writing utensils. Undoubtedly, she composed it by moonlight, or by the rays of the rising sun. Whatever the case, I believe she was trying to tell me something, that there is a time to race, but there is also a time to stand still. Though Haru-kun is racing right now, she must in some way comprehend that now is the right time. However, for us, the time to race has past. Now, we can only stand still and hope for the best." Ishida took in his words, then groaned.

"You're both mad, telling me I've got no reason to worry. Did you two plan this?" he retorted, glancing from Byakuya's rigid back to a perplexed Urahara.

"Please, Ishida-san… I never plan anything more than three minutes in advance."

"It's all good and well for you to be so calm about this, but I haven't forgotten who else is in that room." He said nothing more, but Byakuya's shoulders grew noticeably more rigid at his comment. The breath he released was slightly strained as if it were difficult for him. Wordlessly, he rose to his feet, throwing his demanding eyes at Renji, who silently rose to follow him.

"Matte," Ichigo demanded.

"You have thirty seconds, Kurosaki Ichigo," Byakuya retorted. He took two seconds to compose himself and clear his throat.

"Maybe you're the ones forgetting that last time she was in a fight with me, she damn near killed me. Now, I know she might be limited now to twenty percent…"

"Ten," Ishida muttered, but no one seemed to hear him. Ichigo continued on without noticing the interruption.

"…but that's still enough if she survived an encounter with Grimmjow. Hell, she would've walked away if not for those limiters, but instead, I had to carry her all the way here after learning the bastard had already turned tail." Byakuya threw Ichigo a leer, as if to warn him that if he laid one more hand on Haru, he would be taking the boy's head off. "I owed it to her to carry her here, but I feel like I've got some interest to pay, so…" Ichigo rose to his feet and strode towards the door. "I can't let you interrupt her."

"Have you gone mad?" Ishida demanded. "If she drains herself, she could die!"

"She won't."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because I trust her." Never in Byakuya's life had he heard words so weighty yet so genuine. "That's saying a lot beings I've only met her a handful of times. Since you've known her for longer, I figured you'd be willing to trust her, too, but I guess I'm wrong." Byakuya and Ishida immediately resumed their positions at the table. Ichigo settled himself as well once he realized they had no further intension of acting rashly, and Renji, after realizing he was still the only one standing, followed suit.

"She has one half-hour," Byakuya stated.

"That's awfully generous of you, taichou," Renji noted, arching one brow and griming. "You expecting to get something in return for it?"

"Haru-kun is a special case. Therefore, I shall ask for nothing in return save a thorough explanation. Still… this will undoubtedly get back to Seireitei before her objective is accomplished. I expect that she will be reprimanded, along with Hinamori Momo, for erecting the barriers in the first place."

"Yeah, that's what you're here for," Urahara stated. "Just know that if you attempt to incarcerate her, I'll be breaking her out."

"The decision is not mine to make." Byakuya knew the likelihood that he would be given power to judge her wrongdoings was very slim, considering Genryuusai likely knew the nature of their relationship already. He had no choice but to put his faith in the system, one that had no place in it for shinigami like Haru. The thought crossed his mind that she may not have considered the consequences, but it seemed so unlikely that he immediately disregarded it. _I am not sure what your objective is, meddling with people like that boy, but if it is the way you do things, then I have little choice but to accept it. Still… the question remains, why him? _He had neither the ability nor the desire to seek an answer at the moment. Instead of considering it, he allowed himself to be imbued by a strong desire to hold her in his arms again.

* * *

When Haru sneezed for the third time, Hinamori glanced up at her. "Taichou, are you coming down with a cold?"

"Not that I know of," she responded. Now that Hinamori mentioned it, the weather was a little chilly. She would have to start wearing a sleeved haori over her uniform soon. Still, such considerations were secondary to her chief one. She gazed at the motionless Takumi, at the restive grimace on his face, at the bandages wound over his left eye, and she felt the pit of her stomach drop out. "By now, at least one person in this house has distinguished the situation. Need I remind you that it isn't too late to refuse me."

"I have already erected the barriers and sealed the door with a strong bakudou."

"Momo-san…"

"I know the consequences involved. I don't expect them to go easy on me, not after I used my kidou to escape prison. I couldn't care less about the price I have to pay, but… if you're having second thoughts, then…" Haru smiled and shook her head.

"I was well aware of the consequences before I decided on this course of action. We will likely be reprimanded at best, and we'll be imprisoned for a short period at worst. I can't say I care much about that, either." Violet eyes fell on Takumi, whose jaw was visibly clenched. "Helping him is worth my trouble because he is my vice captain, but you have no reason to demonstrate such loyalty."

"If he's going to be in your division, then I have to help him." A smile passed between them, lingering momentarily before Haru's immediately fated.

"I must warn you again not to utter a word of what I'm about to do. If anyone knew, then I would probably be forced to endure more trouble that I am willing to put up with at the moment. Using this method will be troublesome enough." She glanced to Takumi again. "Kuso... you're nothing but trouble, almost as much as Byakuya-sama, but he's nothing but trouble and then some." After expelling a sigh, she rubbed her head and pushed her glasses up, then peered at Hinamori again. "Remember, not a word."

"What are you going to do?" she inquired. Haru said nothing; she simply knelt next to her vice captain, giving him a once over before shutting her eyes.

"Please watch closely, Momo-san. Even if I don't tell you what I'm doing, I am almost certain you will figure it out." Haru took another breath and exhaled, pulling Suzaku from her obi and resting it against her shoulder. Then, all became still for a moment. Hinamori did as she was asked and watched Haru closely, but nothing happened. She sighed and glanced at the moon. The stars were just beginning to peer out, and just as she got lost in them, they disappeared behind a white haze of light. Startled, Hinamori peered to Haru, whose face spoke of deep concentration. The ribbon on her zanpakutoh circled about in time with the smoky reiatsu that rose into the air. She felt an immense shift. Suddenly, it felt like there were too many people in the room. Hinamori told herself that it was only her imagination, but her heart was not as easily convinced as her mind. The reality of the situation fell on her: Haru was releasing a limiter of one sort or another.

At that very moment, the reiatsu shifted again, flickered gold, then filled the room with such blinding light that Hinamori had to shield her eyes. She peered out just for a moment and imagined one of the most stunning things she had ever seen: her captain, though only nominal at that point in time, with her hair trailing out behind her and a mass of reiatsu springing into the air that followed the outline of the mark on her back. The remainder of her body was surrounded by a golden halo of light, and her violet eyes, barely open, shone with some inner glow, but Hinamori soon realized it was an illusion, and when the room stilled again, Haru's eyes emitted no light. They only captured the moon's rays and held them. She glanced down at her hand and flexed her fingers as if trying to grow used to some new sensation. _At this level, I can sustain myself and easily accomplish what I set out to do._

_Haru-sama, are you sure it is wise? Last time you tried this, you were only trying to find Takumi by sending out your own reiatsu like a radar._

_Suzaku, _Haru responded, closing her hand into a fist. _Earlier, you told me to do something if I thought I could. This is my answer to your riddle._

_Are you even sure you can do it?_

_I am positive, _she answered. _Despite his wild nature, Takumi's reiatsu is entirely stable. The pattern should be simple enough to copy. _

_Will you interfere?_

_Iie_. Haru allowed a smile to pass her face as she folded her hands and raised them so the cross caught the moonlight. _The way he is now, he will not win a battle against anything. He has no confidence. I am merely going to return that confidence to him._ She poured all her focus into one task and one alone, and once Hinamori realized what Haru intended to do, she nearly cried out and begged her captain to cease and desist.

"You can do a lot of things, taichou, but you can't do this…" She let the words die before they even came to her lips, and to prevent any more doubt from arising, she placed one hand over her mouth, resigning herself in the same moment to be nothing more than a spectator that had already played her part. A gasp of surprise escaped her when, suddenly, Haru's reiatsu started shifting, not abruptly as it had when she had released a limiter, but slowly as if sliding along a scale until the perfect balance was found. It grew so foreign, she barely knew it was Haru's, and she was only certain because of the gold and white haze around her that mixed and mingled until it appeared one single luminosity. _You can't… you can't actually be… _Those words ran through her head over and over, though she knew it was true. Haru's reiatsu stopped shifting abruptly, and Takumi's sword, which was leaning against the wall, seemed to rebel against its confines.

Haru was vaguely aware of this, but she was more focused on diving deeper into herself. When she opened her eyes, she found herself shrouded in darkness, wearing nothing but her white yukata. Suzaku hung at her side in her zanpakutoh form. _Suzaku…_

_We have successfully forced a resonance between myself and akumashoku. I will now stabilize that resonance until you have done what you came here to do._

_I can't see anything… _Haru held out a hand and summoned her reiatsu. She saw that the ground beneath her feet was covered in small, sharp pebbles that bit into her feet when she walked. Still, she strode forward and relished that feeling. It distracted her from the blazing pain spreading across her back. _Suzaku, how can he stand being here?_

_It appears different to him than it does to you, _she answered. _If the resonance were one-hundred percent perfect, you would see it exactly as he does, but since you are limited to a twenty-percent output at the moment, of mixed composition no less, the resonance not entirely flawless._

_Still, the fact that I've come this far really is something._

_Did you ever doubt yourself? _Haru gave a slight laugh that echoed all around her. Perplexed by the strange closeness of the place, she augmented the intensity of the glow slightly and saw she was in some sort of tunnel. The slight declivity of the ground gave her a sense of imbalance, and when she tripped on something sticking out of the ground, she felt an ache spread across her foot. Fortunately, she knew she wasn't physically wounded, but she also knew that the pain in her back was growing worse by the minute.

_Kuso, _she thought. _This is impassable. Where the hell is he? _Haru ducked a spike of rock and moved around it carefully. _Suzaku, is this… a cave?_

_Not just one cave, but a whole network of them. You are currently heading through one of the main tunnels._

_Why caves, though?_

_Perhaps for the same reason you chose a void to seal your inner world away: because you wished to hide. _

_Yes, but I wanted to hide from the world. The way this place is… makes me think Takumi wishes to hide from himself. _Haru paused as the ground suddenly became level, though no less abrasive to her feet than it was before. With a sigh, she wiped her forehead, cringing as pain penetrated every part of her body. _Kuso… I'm running out of time. _She sunk to one knee and released a breath she had been holding, then rose to her feet with difficulty. She wasn't sure why she peered straight forward when she typically would have continued staring at the ground, but her eyes rose and grew wide as they locked on the object they sought. Haru opened her mouth to speak, but no words ever came. She found herself unable to speak considering the scene she was now faced with.

Before her was a lake illuminated by a faint trace of flames dancing on its surface. In the midst of the water rose a pillar of stone, and to that stone was chained Takumi. Haru could see the glimmer in his one visible eye; the other was shrouded by a combination of his hair and the shadows. Still, the look in that one eye was listless and unaware. "My gods," she said at last, stepping forward. Her foot entered the lake, and she drew it back with a cry of surprise. "It's cold…" Haru peered at the dying flames on the lake, then grasped Suzaku between her hands and began forward again. Finding the surface stable, she continued across the murky waters until she came to the rock and peered up. He was at least twenty feet up, too high for her to jump, but she couldn't risk losing Suzaku there. Feeling her wielder's despair, she murmured, _Recall my earlier words, Haru-sama. You have your own wings, and with them alone will you ever rise above the sun._

_Can I really do it? _The question was more for her than for Suzaku, but the zanpakutoh immediately provided a response which, though superfluous, proved to be extremely encouraging.

_The least you can do is try, right? _Haru clung to her sword and held it close to her body. Slowly, she dropped to a crouch. While she lowered herself, a faint warmth spread across her back, neither painful nor unpleasant but strangely comfortable. When she leapt into the air, she felt a glow fan out behind her.

"Takumi!" she shouted. He stirred and moved his head. It was impossible to miss the blaze rising up from below him.

"Haru…" He lifted his head entirely when she came to a stop in front of him, hovering on what seemed to be a pair of wings. Clearing his throat, he corrected himself. "I mean, taichou… what are you doing here?"

"Baka!" she shouted, giving him a good whack on the head with her sword. He accepted the blow, though he was none too happy about it.

"What the hell was that for?"

"For your stupidity! Did you honestly let yourself get chained by your own lack of confidence? You should be ashamed that I have to see you like this!" He bent his head beneath Haru's upbraiding, but she seemed to come to the realization that she was being too hard on him and cleared his throat. "Look at me." His one visible eye appeared; the place where his left eye had been remained covered by hair. "I don't have much time left. I just want you to know something. I'm not ashamed of your loss today, and I'm not afraid of you or your zanpakutoh. Even if other people are, I can't let myself fear you because I know you're a good person. I know you possess a great deal of strength."

"Strength, hmm?" he asked, dropping his gaze again. "Since when does strength get you bound like this, and since when does strength lead you to ruin?"

"You're not ruined yet, Takumi."

"You don't understand…"

"You're right. I don't, and I probably never will, but I can honestly admit my own weakness. I can't do this alone, Takumi. I need you there, you and Momo-san both."

"Don't you get it?" he shouted suddenly, causing Haru to fall silent. "I'm no good to you, none at all. All I've done is get in the way. You wouldn't have gotten hurt today if I hadn't gone after that espada. The same thing happened last time, even though he found me instead of me finding him. Even before I lost my left eye, I was trouble. Now, I can't do anything at all." Haru heard something faint strike the water, and realizing the source, she smiled and drifted forward with her hands reaching out.

"Baka," she murmured, placing one hand under his chin and coaxing him to look up. "You still have one good eye. I don't want you to regret not putting it to use."

"Taichou…" Haru suddenly drew back with a cry. "Taichou! Daijoubu desu ka?" She kept smiling at him, holding her shoulder and peering at him with one eye.

"Please consider it. Momo-san… would never forgive herself if you didn't at least try to come back."

"But taichou, I… I…"

"Please try, Takumi-san. I'll be waiting for you there." Her wings burst into dust, and Haru descended, falling hard against the dark waters below with a splash so loud, the stone around him seemed to shake. A current stirred around her, one more real than the icy waters. She could taste the danger as it filled her lungs. In an instant, she leapt to her feet, and with one determined cry, she severed the shadowy structures racing towards her. Keeping her sheathe in one hand, she lowered her sword and pointed it in the general direction of the attack's source. As expected, it was Takumi's zanpakutoh, which had no doubt taken notice of her presence and had finally acted to remove it.

She didn't have much time to process it, but she suddenly fell to her knees, dropping her sword and bowing her head as each gasp exited her lungs. She heard someone call her and slowly turned her head, but she couldn't see anything. Her vision suddenly blurred, and she heard something crack. She made no effort to bite back the agonized scream that threatened to tear her lungs apart. Helpless beneath her own pain, she clawed at the floor and tried to compose herself, but it was all in vain. Her head whirled, her throat burned, and her back… there was no describing the pain's intensity. It completely overcame every perception she had. Other than one cool spot of the floorboards against her forehead and the miniscule spots against her fingers, her entire body burned with constant, unbearable pain.

The only awareness she had was her inundation in agony. She never felt the barriers break down, nor did she perceive the shadow that suddenly knelt before her. Something grasped her hand and pulled her upright, and the next moment, her cries were silenced by something pushing against her mouth. The buzzing pain in her ears fell silent even though her blood still rushed in them and her heart thundered in her chest. Slowly, for whatever the reason, she shut her eyes and relished the sudden relief brought on by a familiar fire that stirred within her. Her fingers twitched slightly, which summoned a strong realization that her hand was still being clutched. The rest of reality returned at a breakneck pace that caused Haru to pull away and, immediately regretting it, collapse against the shoulder of the one who brought her relief. Recalling their audience, she blushed profusely and clung to his haori, refusing to even raise her eyes. A sigh brushed against the side of her face as one hand pressed against the back of her head. Though her mind was still hazy, she thought she perceived a slight tremble work its way through his frame. "Byakuya-sama…"

Byakuya drew away just enough to show Haru his face and press one hand against hers. His expression was visibly troubled, and his eyes flickered with some unnamed, indistinguishable sentiment. Before she could thoroughly study it, however, she felt his other hand begin to wander the planes of her back, which sent her flying against his shoulder not only to hide her blush, but also to hide the sounds his ministration elicited. "Matte… matte kudasai… you know it's sensitive…" She couldn't manage any more coherent objections, so she pressed her lips together and buried her face entirely in his shoulder. By that point, she had one fistful of his scarf in her right hand and a fistful of his captain's haori in another. He continued tormenting her until her head whirled from holding her breath and the noise finally slipped past her lips, a half-gasp, half cry of pleasure. Recalling again that Byakuya's ears were not the only ones that heard her, Haru blushed again and pulled away, putting her hands to her face. When she saw the smirk flit across his expression, she deliberately punched him in the arm. "Baka! Don't look so satisfied!"

"Perhaps I would not take such satisfaction in being so liberal with my affections if you did not give me cause to worry." Haru sighed and bowed her head in apology. He allowed her to remain that way for a moment before asking, "Can you stand?"

"Hai," she murmured, lifting one arm to the moonlight. A cocoon of threads appeared around her, then dispersed, and she rose as if she had suffered nothing more than a paper cut.

"That is not what I meant."

"I have ways of willing myself to move, Byakuya-sama, even when my body refuses to comply." He seized her wrist tightly, and this time, his hand was definitely trembling. "Relax. I shall only uphold this state until I have eaten and bathed. Then, I'll sleep it off."

"You should not be left alone right now. You may hurt yourself if you are not careful."

"Well, that's why you're here, isn't it?" Byakuya suddenly became tense and whirled to look out the window. "You're blushing."

"Urusai." Haru laughed quietly as he relinquished his grasp and rose to his feet, following her as she paced towards the door. Hinamori, uncomfortable and withdrawn, fixed her attention in a corner. The rest of her audience, the cavalry Ichigo summoned after carrying her back to Urahara's shop, plus the host's crew and even the host himself, stood staring open-mouthed and red-faced at stoic captain and the young girl. The moonlight played off of her hair as she brushed a loose strand behind her ear. "Sumimasen," she stated. "I would like to get some rest tonight, and it would be a tragedy if Byakuya-sama were to fall out of his routine on my account."

"Taichou." The call caused both Byakuya and Haru to pause and glance in Hinamori's direction. She stood with her back facing them, and when she whirled around, she looked directly at Haru with teary eyes. "You suffered so much just for that, and you're still going to suffer more… I don't understand how… or why…" She wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve and glanced up again, reassured by Haru's smile.

"Does any of that really need explaining? You know what I did and why I did it."

"But I still don't understand how you learned to… to…" Realizing she was about to say too much, she covered her mouth and nervously glanced away.

"Just remember," Haru stated, smiling and pressing her finger to her lips, "not a word."

"Hai," she muttered. "But will you tell me someday?"

"Of course." The affirmative answer comforted Hinamori, who folded her hands and sighed with relief. "I don't suppose that after doing so much for me already, you would be willing to perform another favor?"

"I'm always willing."

"Then could you please watch him?" Startled, she whirled to her captain, who stood facing the door. She didn't need to see Haru's eyes to know the dire askance behind her request. "I would do so myself, but I'm afraid I won't last long in this condition."

"Are you sure it's such a good idea?"

"Beyond a shadow of a doubt," Haru answered, turning towards Hinamori with a smile and pushing her glasses up. "I'm almost certain he would be happy if you are the first thing he sees when he wakes up."

"If you insist, taichou." She added the final part with some hesitance, but it didn't seem to vex Haru at all. She only smiled again and turned away, trusting that her vice captains could take care of each other. She slipped out of the room, pausing only long enough to discretely provide Ishida with a short string of requests that mainly involved her family, and continued down the hall, adding that she wanted complete privacy with Byakuya if it wasn't too much trouble. No one made any objections, mainly because the weight of what they had just witnessed still lingered heavily on their minds, not only between Haru and Byakuya, but also Haru's own behavior.

"She's… really a captain?" Rukia stammered. Hinamori turned away and refused to answer, but instead asked that a chair be brought to the room so she could at least sit down. Tessai immediately departed to retrieve it, followed by Urahara, Jinta, and Ururu, who felt no need to give the matter any more attention. Surprisingly, Rukia received her answer from the most expected source.

"Guess so."

"Ichigo… you knew about this?"

"It was some sort of bargain she made with Yamamoto-san," he responded. "She explained it to me before I came back here. I can't remember it all real well, but the basis of the agreement was that she would oversee all matters concerning me. Trouble is, only captains are qualified to do that sort of thing."

"So she simply said, 'To hell with it,' and decided to become a captain?" Renji asked. "Why would she do something like that for you?"

"Hell if I know," Ichigo retorted. "She was the one that made the decision. I didn't ask her to do anything for me. She just did it."

"Understandable," Ishida answered. "Haru-sama may be logical, but she is also prone to moments of impulsivity, particularly when she sees some similarity between her circumstances and someone else's." He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and noted that it was getting late, a deliberate hint that he wanted everyone to leave.

"Ishida-kun," Orihime said quietly, "if you need help doing whatever it is Haru-san asked you to do, then I'd be more than willing to help."

"Gomen," he answered, "but these are things only I can do." He smiled to reassure them. "I'll be along in a bit, so please don't wait up for me."

"Right," Ichigo stated. "I'm sorry about dragging your sister into this."

"It's fine." They bid their farewells and departed, leaving Ishida there. He watched Tessai move past him and set a chair in a corner of the room, and just as curiously, he watched Hinamori drop into the chair, wringing her hands as a miserable slew of thoughts raced across her eyes one by one. Tessai emerged again, leaving the door open in case some drastic fluctuation in reiatsu occurred, and having no reason to remain in the hall, Ishida entered. Hearing the footsteps, Hinamori peered up and gazed at him as he walked across the floor. He looked so normal now compared to his earlier appearance in quincy garb. He looked entirely human, yet she still detected that strong undercurrent of reiatsu moving through him. "You are Hinamori Momo-san, correct?"

"Hai," she answered softly, gazing at the floor again, "And you are Ishida Uryuu, her brother." He nodded and leaned against the wall, staring blankly at the surface of the room's adjacent boundary. "Why are you still here? It isn't for Fujiwara-san, and it certainly isn't for me."

"Actually, there's something I wanted to ask you."

"I can't tell you anything about what taichou did."

"You don't have to," he answered, sliding across the room and shutting the door, then returning to his original position. Startled, Hinamori peered up from her chair. He came a little closer to her, so she could hear him speaking, then proceeded to utter his words in quiet undertones. "I already know. Reiatsu no henshin… only those who are extremely apt at controlling their reiatsu can even think to attempt it, and of that select group, only a few are ever actually successful. Haru-sama shifted her reiatsu to match the exact frequency of Fujiwara's, thus forcing a resonance between their zanpakutoh and temporarily connecting their inner worlds. Unfortunately, the technique is very taxing. She needed twenty-percent, and so she obtained it."

"How do you know so much about a shinigami technique? And what limiter could she have released in order to…" Hinamori's voice trailed off as the image of Haru raced through her mind, her body glowing, her hands folded as if in prayer, and a silvery sheen peering through her uniform, becoming a solid cross. The realization came with a gasp, and she quickly threw her gaze to the floor.

"You understand that you cannot mention this to anyone."

"Why not?" Ishida sighed and peered at the ceiling.

"It's complicated. I'm afraid I can't explain it, not until I formulate the right words. If I happen to before you return to Soul Society, then I will do you the justice of telling you everything."

"I thought you hated shinigami."

"I despise them, but at the same time, I…" He paused and gazed at the moon for a moment, then continued. "I want to protect Haru-sama from suffering anymore abandonment. If you know everything about her, then you are less likely to turn away when she needs you most. I hope you'll understand my caution and not mistake me as cold. Life has not exactly been kind to her. I want to prevent it from being cruel when I can."

"I understand, especially since I already know that the shinigami almost drove your race to extinction." Ishida allowed the reminder to sink in, pushing his glasses up to hide the agonizing pain in his eyes. Having nothing else to say, he turned towards the door.

"This conversation never happened," he said without turning around.

"My lips are sealed," she answered, keeping her eyes fixed on Takumi. Once the door slid shut, she rested her chin in her hand and sighed, knowing she could only wait with the eerie stillness as her only company.

* * *

"You're doting over me too much." The words came quite suddenly, causing Byakuya to flinch. He had sat in silence with Haru as she consumed her meal, leaving early only to take his own bath and then standing outside the door while she took hers. They meandered back to the room she was sleeping in and knelt on Haru's futon, both silently acknowledging the other's wish to gaze at the moon.

"I would not call it doting."

"Then what do you call that kiss back there?"

"I was merely doing what was required considering the situation."

"Even though there were people there? My brother and sensei, your vice captain… we had a rather sizable audience."

"You sound annoyed," he noted flatly.

"Baka," she retorted. "I wanted to keep things low key for now."

"Renji already knew the truth. He is not a fool. Your brother was also aware, and I know for a fact that Rukia and Kurosaki Ichigo were well on their way to making that leap in their minds, as they were already suspicious."

"If they were suspicious, then it was your fault they were." Haru turned away from him, wondering what the cause of her sudden irascible mood was. She had no desire to fight with him, not when she had no idea when he would return to Soul Society or if he would give her a proper farewell before doing so. Still, his sudden openness vexed her and nearly summoned several vehement imprecations to her lips. She restrained them all with little effort. There was no point in arguing with him. "Nande?" she demanded suddenly. "Why do you do these things? Why couldn't you have exercised more caution?"

"Sukidayo," he answered simply, turning his eyes to gauge her reaction. Haru whirled towards him, visibly frustrated yet too exhausted to physically exert herself. Still, that wasn't enough to keep her silent. What ultimately quieted her objections was one of his pale fingers resting against her lips. "Sukidayo," he said again. "It doesn't change, no matter where we are, whether we are in solitude or among others. Here and in Soul Society, and anywhere else I may go, my feelings for you will remain the same. That is why…" He cupped her face in his hands and gingerly pressed his lips to hers. Haru was powerless to resist him; he was using that low, seductive tone that always arrested her ability to think. "That is why I care nothing if people know. I take pride in this feeling, so much pride that I wish to tell the world, even knowing that there will likely be negative consequences. I will not let that stop me." Sighing, he leaned closer so their foreheads touched and studied her eyes intensely. He felt Haru's fingers ghost against the back of his hands, her eyes flickering as if questioning how long she could endure him being so close. Then, with one exhale, she surrendered.

"You want something."

"I want to know you are not angry with me for what I did. That noise you were making…" The sapphires wandered for a moment, then came back to her eyes, this time with a resolution to be completely honest. "I was afraid you were seriously wounded."

"Things like that happen… when I go beyond my limits." Haru paused and pulled his hands away just enough so she could drop her gaze. "Do you think Hinamori-san's punishment will be severe?"

"I am not sure. To be honest, I am more worried about you."

"Whatever consequence I suffer is irrelevant. I can handle anything they give me, but Hinamori-san shouldn't be punished. I was the one that asked her to do what she did. She was only…" Haru stopped, clutching the hands pressed against the sides of her face. "She… was…" Suddenly, she threw herself against his shoulder, squeezing him so tightly that he gave a slight cough to indicate his discomfort, but she ignored it. She merely sat there and trembled, sinking farther into his arms and wrapping both hands around the back of his yukata. A strong fear diffused into the air, so strong that Byakuya could nearly touch it. He didn't dare ask the cause of this fear to avoid agitating Haru more than she already was. "Sukidayo," she said quietly. "Please… don't leave me."

"I have no intention of going anywhere before you are on your way to Tokyo." The gentle pressure of his hand pressing against the back of her head caused her to tremble, and he would have drawn away had she let him. "Haru-kun, if I'm hurting you… if anything I've ever done has physically caused you pain…" She knew immediately that he was alluding to their earlier contact, when he had so carelessly and ruthlessly assaulted her back with gentle caresses and drawn some kind of audible noise from her. Had that noise really come from her? The mere thought of it threw her into a delirium of mortification. "Haru-kun."

"It was nothing like that earlier," she said quietly.

"Was it ever painful?"

"Iie."

"Then…"

"Then what?" Haru asked.

"What does it feel like?" The bluntness with which he asked that question brought another wave of heat to her face. Still, she managed to back away enough from his shoulder to bow her head and stammer an answer.

"Well… it's hard to say, really. I can't compare it to anything I've ever felt before."

"Is it uncomfortable?"

"Iie," she said, shaking her head. "I mean, it was at first, but only because I didn't know you that well. Now, it…"

"Yes?" Haru peered at him, realizing that he was trying to make her say something. With an irate glare, she folded her arms and looked away. "I have ways of making you speak, Haru-kun."

"You wouldn't dare!" The words had hardly left her mouth when suddenly, Byakuya threw his arms around her, sprawling his fingers across her back in such a way that immediately sent her flying into his shoulder again. She squirmed as they began traversing the fabric of her yukata, covering it in touches so feather light that she half imagined they weren't there, yet they had to be. She could feel the faint reiatsu drifting off of his fingers, drifting through the yukata and across her skin. She only tried to speak his name once, and the effort was vain. She only managed to get the first syllable out before his ministrations effectively thwarted all efforts to speak. A sound escaped her lips, much like the one she had made earlier, only this time, she didn't restrain it. Its tone and quality made his throat tighten, and his hands faltered for a moment, but only a moment. Byakuya peered at her flustered expression and decided it was worth tormenting her more to hear it again. "Bya… Byakuya-sama… no… no more… I can't… take…"

"Then answer my question," he breathed against her ear. "Just one word will suffice." Knowing Haru would be stubborn and resist, he captured her lips and drank every sound she made, making her head buzz and spin in ways she didn't think possible. She tried to follow the circles Byakuya was busily tracing on her back, but the kiss distracted her and intensified the feeling. When he had satisfied his appetite, he drew back and examined the flush on her face. Haru was gasping for breath, lost so deeply in whatever it was she felt that she couldn't even see straight. His fingers fidgeted impatiently, pushing Haru over the edge, and drawing her head into a full bow as the words slipped past her lips.

"It feels… heavenly…" With those words, she collapsed against him, pushing the unsuspecting Byakuya onto his back. They sprawled across the futon, Haru winded and laying directly on top of him, Byakuya staring at the ceiling with his arms loosely wound around her shoulders. He could feel her heart racing, and every breath seeped through the fabric of his yukata, striking his shoulder with unbelievably high speed and temperature. Exhausted by the effort her secrecy required, Haru settled for remaining where she was. She didn't feel like resisting him anymore. In fact, at that moment, she felt she would answer any question he asked as long as he kept administering those wonderful touches to her back. That way, she would never forget the sensation.

Haru stirred when she felt his fingers brush against her shoulder and dive tentatively under her yukata. "Byakuya-sama…"

"Relax," he murmured, tracing a line between her shoulder blades. "I would not try something of _that _nature even if I were mad." Only because it was Byakuya, and only because she trusted him, she laid her head on his shoulder and sighed as those fingers traced an incoherent labyrinth of lines on her back. He loosened her yukata a little more, smiling when she clung to him, and searched out the mark on her back. When he splayed his palm against it, she made a slight noise. Compared to the rest of her flesh, the indigo cross felt hot to the touch, so much so that he lingered for only moment before withdrawing. "It is hot," he explained when she sat up and peered at him. "Nande?"

"See for yourself." Byakuya sighed as the cold air hit him and longed for Haru to lay with him again, but she knelt facing the moon with her back to him. Slowly, she slid the fabric off of her shoulders, just enough to expose a majority of her peculiar mark. His eyes flickered sharply as they found the dark lines on her skin, noting that they seemed lighter and that they were expelling some sort of silver mist, too faint to be seen through clothing but bright enough to show up against the darkness that surrounded them.

"Haru…"

"I think you should know the truth," she stated, pulling the garment over her shoulders and readjusting it to a suitable level of decency. "When Suzaku first awakened in shikai form roughly seven and a half years ago, sensei was overjoyed. He said I was on my way to becoming a shinigami. Still, I saw the trouble in his face and asked him why he looked that way. When he told me something was wrong, I didn't understand, not until a few hours later. I ran a high fever, my energy dwindled, and I even started coughing up blood, but no matter how many times he or Yoruichi-san or Tsukabishi-san examined me, they could find nothing wrong. They, and a lot of other people, thought I was going to die, and I, not wanting to be a burden, ardently desired the fate they expected of me."

Haru turned her hands over and watched the moonlight play on them for a moment, listening to the sounds of Byakuya's steady breathing, feeling his composed gaze locked on her shoulders. "The mark on my back… was the remedy. Urahara-sensei came to the conclusion that my reiatsu was growing too quickly for my body to cope with, and that if it was restricted, I would soon regain my health. However, no shinigami limiters would work. No matter how many he tried, they all failed. Their hope dwindled day by day. Those were very hard days for sensei. I knew he hated seeing me like that. He sat with me while I squirmed beneath the fever, fighting for sleep that never came. I'd never seen him so troubled before, nor have I seen him that troubled since."

"Then how did you survive?"

"Patience, Byakuya-sama. I will arrive at the point shortly." Haru peered to the corner where their weaponry was leaning against a wall, Suzaku and Senbonzakura, accompanied by the metallic shimmer of a dormant Seele Schneider. "When sensei had exhausted every lead and lost every hope, he left the room. He couldn't stand to be in my presence because he was certain things would end badly. Additionally, he didn't want me to see him crying because he knew it would hurt me more. Little did either of us know that one person hadn't given up. He came in the middle of the night. I remember seeing his eyes in the moonlight. I asked him if he was there to end the pain. He only smiled and told me to shut my eyes.

"For the first time in days, I slept. I hadn't seen him since his grandfather's funeral. I wasn't surprised he hadn't attended my mother's. Still, I trusted his judgment. In the morning, I woke up and found him sleeping against the back wall. At some point in the night, I had thrown the covers off partway, and after a moment, I felt someone cover me again. When I rolled onto my back, something I hadn't had the strength to do in a long time, I cried out in pain, and he jolted awake, chiding the interfering hands of sensei. I told him to relax if he could, that it didn't hurt so much as it caused me slight discomfort. After he explained everything to sensei, he just left. He ended with the assertion that I would be fine now, as long as I didn't push myself, and once he was gone, I remember sensei kneeling down next to my futon, wrapping his hands around the one that was hanging out, and grasping it unsteadily. Back then, I didn't understand any of it, but Ishi-nii gave me the information he gave sensei when I was older."

Haru paused, rubbing the sleep away from her eyes, then continued. "The cross I bear, the one resting on my flesh, is actually a power limiter devised by quincies. It was once used for those training to augment their spiritual power. Over time, their reiatsu adjusted to being cut by whatever fraction and compensated for the loss by increasing, but if I understand everything correctly, Ishi-nii didn't place that mark on my back at all. He was only there to end it if it became too much for my body to handle."

"Then who is responsible for it? Surely not the man you call sensei."

"Iie," she answered with a nod. "It was Suzaku."

"Suzaku? But how could a zanpakutoh…"

"Considering what I am, this should not surprise you." Haru looked critically at him for a moment, then hunched over with a slight sigh. "The mechanics themselves are confusing and a bit surprising. Since I am half quincy, Suzaku apparently harnessed that part of my power and utilized it for the purpose I have already explained. However, her motives were clear enough. She wanted to save me. Even if I had just learned her name, I had known her for two years before that as the mysterious voice that always pacified me when I was alone, or rebuked me when I underestimated myself. However, there was a catch to all this, one I am very careful to adhere to for fear of what will happen if I don't." The light touched her face in such a manner that suggested solemnity. Byakuya, troubled by her sudden alteration in mood, reached out and touched the back of her hand with his index finger, tracing some pattern on it that she failed to follow.

"And the promise you made her… what was it?"

"I should have known you would ask," Haru answered, smiling and tilting her eyes towards him. "Do you remember the first time we sparred? My only condition was that I use my zanpakutoh."

"I remember it well."

"My reason for this is Suzaku, and it involves the limiter she placed on me." His eyes grew confused, drawing a slight laugh from Haru as she leaned against his shoulder. "Suzaku's actions saved my life. She wanted to preserve me for whatever the reason; she often tells me she has no fear of dying. In exchange for my life, she made me vow never to use another sword in her stead. I don't remember the actual event of making the vow, but I remember the vow itself."

"And the limiter?"

"It was originally designed for intense training that sped up the augmentation of one's reiatsu. Suzaku's objective in placing it on me is quite different; she intended to divide the two spiritual pressures inside me until my body could handle the simultaneous use of both."

"Haru-kun, you only have one reiatsu."

"True, but it is composed of two parts, the quincy reiatsu of the Yamashita clan and the shinigami reiatsu of Tokazawa Misuzu. It is undeniably all the same reiatsu, yet it varies on one important point. The two first came together after I achieved shikai. I almost died because of that. Suzaku wanted to make sure that didn't happen again, so she… divided it in a sense. That is part of the reason I have such acute control of my reiatsu. That is why, tonight, after Hinamori Momo erected two barriers to seal the room and cast a high-level bakudou on the door, I was able… I was able to achieve a genuine reiatsu no henshin."

"Reiatsu no… henshin?" Byakuya repeated it so he could process the weight of what she was really telling him. "Haru-kun, are you saying that… that you purposely and willfully forced a resonance between your sealed zanpakutoh and Fujiwara Takumi's?" She nodded in response, listening to him as he rose and darted in front of her, dropping to his knees and resting his hands on her shoulders. "In order to do that, you…"

"That's right," she murmured. "I fully released the limiter that was placed on me all those years ago."

"How long?" he demanded. "How long were you able to…" Haru glanced up at his eyes, then quickly threw them into a corner. At the moment, they were wild, but not in the way she was familiar with.

"About fifteen minutes… twenty tops."

"Twenty minutes?" Byakuya echoed, shaking her shoulders and hoping that her gaze would return to his, but she kept her eyes averted. "Haru-kun, that is practically unheard of. Just how much does that mark limit you?" She rung her hands and silently refused to answer his question. "Haru-kun, you have reiatsu that falls slightly below captain level. Without that limiter, how much stronger would it be?" Still, she refused to answer. "Did you use gentei kaijou?"

"Iie. I left the limiter Soul Society placed on me alone. It was dangerous enough tampering with one without tampering with the other."

"Then how much?" he said again. Haru finally peered at him, her grave eyes filled with moonlight. She smiled and pressed a hand to the side of his face, then embraced him briefly before drawing away and looking straight into his eyes.

"The quincy limiter… reduces my reiatsu by about fifty percent, and if you take into account the limiting effects of coming here, my output when I fought the espada today was twenty percent of that." Shock overcame him instantly, and the hands that rested on her shoulders quivered. "I was only at ten percent when I dueled and twenty when I successfully accomplished a reiatsu no henshin."

"Haru-kun…" She didn't allow him to speak but continued in a timid voice.

"Urahara-sensei… spent a lot of time calculating how much reiatsu I actually possess. He finally finished. He says… that when all errors are taken into account, I fall just short of having double the reiatsu of a typical captain." Byakuya had no answer to that. The hands on her shoulders fell away, and his head bowed under the weight of that revelation. He didn't know what to say, considering everything she had just said, so he let his forehead fall against Haru's shoulder, allowing fatigue to close his eyes. He felt Haru's finger brush his ebony hair behind his ear. Then, her arms encircled his neck, pressing him even closer against the surface he chose to hide himself against.

_I have to say something, _he thought. _Anything… but what can I say to that? What am I supposed to…? _The answer came to him before panic overwhelmed him. Gingerly, he escaped her grasp and slipped one arm under her knees. The other, he used to catch her as she fell backwards. After kicking the covers back, he laid her gently on the futon, pressing one hand against it and leaning over her briefly. Haru stared up at him, puzzled by what he could be thinking, but suddenly, he leaned down and captured her lips in a brief yet passionate kiss. He drew away just as quickly, smiling softly at the disappointment on her face. "Sukidayo, Yamashita Haru." He bent to kiss her once more, this time lingering longer before collapsing beside her and pulling up the covers. Immediately, she moved closer, winding her arms around him and nuzzling his chest. "Haru-kun?"

"I need to be close to you right now," she whispered. "Please." Byakuya made no move to push her away, nor did he attempt to widen the space between them. He simply cleared the nutmeg locks away from Haru's face and studied it. "Gomenasai… I'm so tired…"

"Then sleep." Haru willingly fulfilled his command. Her last thoughts brought a faint smile to her face and comfort to her mind. In the grand scheme of things, her power mattered nothing; it didn't drive them farther apart at all. Instead, it only brought them closer together.

Holy cow… a beast, eh? To wrap of the chapter, I give you a beastly Japanese lesson (and some notes about other stuff. I'll bet you're thrilled!):

* * *

Onegai: Please

Souka: I see

Arigato: An expression of thanks

Iie: No

Douitashimashite: You're welcome

Kuso: Japanese swear word. *squee*

Demo: But

Arigato-gozaimasu: Formal thanks

Gomenasai: Formal apology

Chikusho: More Japanese expletives. One of my joys in life, I guess… ^_^

Nande: Why

Daijoubu desu ka: Are you alright

Matte kudasai: Please wait

Hai: Yes

Urusai: Shut up

Sumimasen: Excuse me, also used as an apology

Gomen: Regular apology

Sukidayo: Usually translated as "I like you," it is a mild expression of affection that goes beyond platonic relationships.

Gekitaikuukan: A bakudou of my devising that translates to "Repelling Void" (thanks, Google/Free Online Dictionary). It protects the area it surrounds from being influenced by any spiritual forces outside the barrier.

Shouhikuukan: The accompanying bakudou to gekitaikuukan, again of my own devising. Translating to "Consuming Void" (again, thanks Google/Free Online Dictionary), this barrier prevents any reiatsu within it from exerting influence on the area outside of it.

Reaitsu no Henshin: Literally meaning "Reiatsu Metamorphosis" (My pitiful attempt at matching the Japanese grammar… I'm doing it right, I swear! Google tells me so, even though it gives me different words!), this technique involves a shinigami adjusting his or her spiritual pressure to a level that forces a resonance between two zanpakutoh, thereby allowing one to explore the inner realm of another. This is also proof that I have a majorly overactive imagination. XP

Congratulations! You just survived another chapter! What are you going to do now? Well… not sure what you're going to do, but I'm going to write review responses! Peace to all, and thanks again! I hope you enjoyed it!


	17. Chapter 17: Bonds

A/N: Turtlechow has just graduated Summa Cum Laude from her institution of higher learning. What is she going to do now?

"I'm going to Disney Woooooooooooorld!!!"

Souvenir money: Check.

List of stuff to pack: Roger that. Packing itself is a work in progress.

Camera chip cleared: …Getting there.

Fanfiction update: Oh, SHIT!

Yeah, I knew I was forgetting something. In fact, by all rights, I should have posted this a week ago. Terribly sorry for the neglect, but for tutors, the end of the semester really saps motivation for everything, including studying for a Spanish final and posting chapters of a fanfiction. I can't apologize enough. I've just been given to indolence this semester. By no fault of yours was this chapter not posted a week ago. My busy social life is the main culprit… and my DS… which demands my constant attention, or it will wither and die. To everyone who has waited this long, thank you so much for your patience. I haven't forgotten about you, I promise. I'll try to get another chapter up as soon as I'm back from vacation, which will be Friday, but the day I get the chapter up will probably be more like Sunday or Monday (Saturday, I graduate officially). A special shout-out to my reviewers: I'llxBexUrxEnigma2010, nao-chan, MarginalMary (special thanks for the constructive criticism), kudokuchan69, Ray-nee-chan, Kvaes Varetnai, Valinor's Twilight, and CRdragonPyro (I think I got you all… uber apologies to those I did not… last minute packing is killing my brain).

* * *

_Chapter 17: Bonds_

All apologies aside, I grant to you the seventeenth chapter of this fanfiction in the hopes that you will all enjoy it. ^_^

Takumi had always thought it wasn't possible for his voice to get hoarse when he had withdrawn inside himself, but he soon found out that he was wrong. "Taichou!" He called again into the blackness that surrounded him, but all he heard was the sound of his own voice bouncing off the walls. The waters were still and glimmering with a faint fire. Somewhere beyond them was the one he sought, waiting and suffering. He could almost feel her pain more acutely than his own. One sigh escaped him, and then he dropped his head, succumbing to his impending doom.

He didn't know how much time had passed before the darkness stirred again. He looked listlessly up, exhausted, cold, uncomfortable, and hungry for something beyond him. With his one good eye, he peered up at the serpentine creature, straight into the glowing incarnadine eyes that dimly lit his face. Fear bubbled up in him, but he immediately swallowed it. A demanding snarl shook the rocks around him, but his eye was steady in its contact. "Tell me something. Did you actually think you could beat that arrancar without me?"

"Your interference certainly didn't improve matters," he retorted.

"On the contrary… he did exactly what I wanted him to do." The creature slid through the air and wrapped around the stone, positioning its pointed snout just inches from Takumi's face. Not being able to stand his vulnerability, he bowed his head. "Years ago, when you were at the academy, I exercised my influences to eradicate your only hope. Today, my wishes were fulfilled. Your left eye is gone. You'll never be a shinigami now, not that you ever really were one." Takumi swallowed again, bowing his head and studying the faint glimmer on the water's surface below. "Still, I can't take any chances, so I chained you up here where no one could get at you, but that girl…" He flinched as the beast tightened its hold, causing the stone at his back to crack. "She will suffer for her interference, far worse than your poor mother ever did for bringing you into this world."

"Don't you dare talk about my mother."

"And why not? Does it hurt you to know that she gave her life to bear you? She knew the risks involved since I had already killed your father. She knew what power you would inherit for his foolishness. Still, she did everything for you, everything…" Resentment slithered through the demon's tone. "Damn that woman… I could have been so much more than I am if not for you. Your father, now… he had ambitions, but he despised the monster he created when he went to _them_." Takumi shut his eyes and attempted to find some peace of mind, but there was none to be found. He was entirely helpless. "Tell me something. Do you really see that Yamashita girl as your redemption? What could you possibly gain by following her?" One azure eye appeared, then vanished again. "Come now, Takumi… tell me what you're thinking? Do you hate me? Do you despise me?" The rock cracked again as the demon's serpentine body tightened, but Takumi retained his single facet of freedom: he remained silent. Enraged, the demon released a cry into the emptiness, answered only by a distant echo.

"I've taken everything from you short of your own life. I killed your father and the woman that bore you. I've given you the weight of a bad name, and now, I've taken your left eye, the seat of that power passed down through the generations to the chosen Fujiwara. Now, answer me: what or whom is the target of your hatred?" Takumi retained his silence, hanging limply as he stared at the surface of the water. "Answer me! You may be my wielder, but I am your master; obey!"

At that, the pale flames on the lake's surface sprang to life, winding around the chains and shattering them. Takumi stood in the air, sighing as the familiar charcoal lines spread across his body. Identical markings appeared on the ebony body of his zanpakutoh's avatar form, glowing ivory and illuminating the entire chamber. When he turned around to gaze at the creature again, he didn't bother trying to hide the place where his left eye had been. "Of course I don't hate you," he answered calmly. "Sure, I hate things you've done, and I hate that your first solution to everything is to kill, and I hate the fact that you exercising that mindset on me causes other people pain, and I hate the fact that you're always so damn pessimistic, but that doesn't change the facts. You are my zanpakutoh, the blade I'm supposed to be able to invest my trust in, but instead, you've done everything you can to drive me away. Nande?" The red eyes flickered as if those words were the last thing it expected in chaining its wielder to a rock to wallow in darkness until his body finally decayed.

Takumi clenched his fists and raised them, not to strike, but to demonstrate his determination. "Let's be honest here. You're not the only one whose existence isn't fair. We've both suffered so much on account of one sick bastard's actions. Things like this are supposed to bring a shinigami and a zanpakutoh closer, but instead, we've only let all the misery drive us farther apart." Laughing faintly, he pushed his hair back from his face, staring at the ceiling, admiring the way the blazing water below him played upon its stony surface. "No one can blame you for beginning the suffering, but it's both our faults for perpetuating it, yours and mine." With a sigh, he reached out and touched the stone he had been bound to moments before, fixing his eyes on its surface, tracing its curvature with his hand as he paced around it. The demon followed him with its eyes. "We don't have to be enemies. That's something we both chose to do because it seemed so natural. Well, I'm making a choice right now. We're not going to fight over it anymore." The demon snarled and scurried up the pillar, rearing its monstrous head until it loomed over the seemingly placid Takumi.

"You do not control my will, boy!"

"And you don't control mine, either!" he returned fiercely, his one eye glimmering. "I can't let you. Don't you understand? It's not because I hate you that I want to control you. I want to trust you in the heat of battle. I want to know I can count on you to carry me when I'm too weak to carry myself. But absolute authority… anything absolute… that's not what I want! I want you to be able to count on me, too. I want you to trust my judgment and try to correct it if I'm doing the wrong thing. Isn't that what we're supposed to do?"

"Do you even understand what the Yamashita clan did to me?"

"Of course I do! You did the same thing to me!" An unsettling silence set in, during which Takumi never broke his eye contact with the demon. When he began again, he bowed his head, not out of fear or submission, but because of the pain he felt. "Mari wanted me to be a shinigami, too. She wanted me to be strong when she was weak, and she wanted me to be able to protect myself… not just from hollows, but from the bad name you've given my family and all the rotten things other shinigami have tried to do to me because of that. I'm sorry if you hate me for it, but that's one thing I can't let you ruin. I can't, demo…" Takumi clenched his fist as he thought of his captain, disappeared below the dark waters below, beneath the pallid sea of flame and entirely beyond his grasp. "Fine," he stated. "You win. I'll give you complete authority. I'll give up everything I love just so you can satisfy some senseless bloodlust. I don't care anymore. All I ask is that you think about it for one minute, for one second. Think about what you're doing. If deep down, you doubt your hatred of everything in this world or your intentions to raze it, then listen to what I have to say. Otherwise…" Takumi moved towards the rock and vaulted to its apex, spreading his arms to indicate he had no intention of fighting. "I'm all yours, Akumashoku. Take me as I am, and wipe out every trace of my existence."

The zanpakutoh hadn't been expecting that. In fact, it was almost the last thing it expected in light of the invasion, the forced severing of the temporary bridge between Takumi's inner world and Haru's, the loss of that power… yet he was actually ordering that he be destroyed. Akumashoku stared at the boy for a moment drifting before him, cringing as the light played across his features and revealed the empty socket where, hours earlier, an eye had been. In that moment, he made his choice. His form distorted and shrank to something more feline, though the demon still retained his most telling features: a black body entwined in thin white lines, a pair of crimson eyes, two small, ebony wings protruding from its back, and two sleek, deadly-looking tails. Using his ivory claws, the demon soon joined Takumi on the stone pillar rising out of the lake, and striding with panther-like motions, sat down in front of the shinigami, waving its two tails through the air like a pair of scythes.

"That's a strange form for you to choose to kill me."

"You know I can't remember my true avatar form," Akumashoku retorted, suppressing the irate growl that rose in his throat. The incarnadine eyes disappeared for a moment, joining two lines that had earlier been segments. Takumi's astonishment at his zanpakutoh's next words was so great that he could easily have been knocked over by a feather. The eyes appeared again, and the demon said with complete sincerity, "Say what you need to say. I'm listening."

An imagined light woke him just before the sun began to rise. With a slight groan, he opened his eye, but the darkness was too painful to look at. He immediately closed it and threw what was left of his gaze elsewhere. It took time for the fine grain of the wooden floor to come into focus, and he would have started counting the lines on the floor had the mere thought of thinking not given him a migraine. He closed one fist around the futon. "Atsui…" He imagined footsteps; he couldn't really say he perceived them since the world around him seemed so distant.

Time must have passed before the steps returned. Perhaps he had fallen asleep again, if only for ten minutes. When he stirred, he felt something cool slide off of his forehead that was immediately replaced. He still couldn't get his eye to focus properly. A voice flitted through the room, then silence. It sounded like it repeated the same words again, which drew him to try to reconnect with his surroundings. His efforts brought him more success, and the figure leaning over him came into view. Just to make sure he wasn't imagining things, he blinked. Shock washed over him as it returned to focus, just as it had been moments before.

In half an instant, he was sitting bolt upright. It took less time than that for him to regret is actions. Pain tore across his body, filled every joint and ligament, and drew a strained gasp from his lungs, which also burned with the intake of air. "Takumi!" The name shook his head like an earthquake, and he immediately put a hand to it, placing it over the bandages that covered the left half of his face, where his eye had once been. A startled look pushed through the pain, and his visible eye grew wide. "Hey, calm down… don't move so fast. Here… lay back down." With the same hand, he reached out and touched her shoulder, drawing a cry of surprise from her that he interpreted as fear. Though his mind told the hand to draw away, his body refused to comply. He slumped over and stared at the futon covers, realizing there was a damp rag sitting right in the middle of them. Winded though he was from the mere effort of sitting up, he managed to peer at his caretaker.

"You," he muttered.

"Gomen," she answered. "I was… asked to watch you by taichou."

"Taichou…" His grip on her shoulder tightened. "Is she…" His voice trailed off, and having spent his strength, he flopped back onto the futon, which shook his body with pain a second time and drew another moan of discomfort from his lungs. He felt the covers rearranged around him, and after another dip in the cool water, the cloth returned to his forehead.

"Yamashita-taichou suffered a lot to bring you back. Please don't put yourself out again." When he took a breath, he noticed how much it sounded like a hiss, then exhaled briefly but powerfully.

"How… did I get here? What happened?" He could remember almost everything, but the gap that existed in his memory troubled him. Hopefully, Akumashoku hadn't devoured those memories, but after the events that had just taken place, he seriously doubted his zanpakutoh would ever do such a thing. Peering up, he noticed Hinamori avoiding his gaze. "Come on… tell me."

"You… fought an espada yesterday," she began, her voice unsteady. "And you lost because of me."

"Because of you?" After a moment of consideration, Takumi fixed his eye on the ceiling. Just when he thought it was no use, a flood of images washed through his mind, causing his azure eye to widen. Once the current stilled, he peered to Hinamori, whose head was resolutely bowed, and felt an unfamiliar feeling drag through him. Takumi knew he had felt it before, but this time, it seemed so much stronger due to the lack of interference. He sat up, this time more slowly, though with no less difficulty than he had before, and debated on what course of action would be the wisest one to take. Somehow, telling her not to cry seemed utterly pointless. As he debated, his feverishness returned, causing his head to whirl, and he instinctively reached for the nearest thing that could stabilize him, which happened to be his caretaker. She tensed when his hands wrapped around her upper arms, but she did nothing when his burning forehead fell against her shoulder.

"Takumi, what are…"

"Gomen," he murmured. "Let me stay here for a moment… to get my bearings." Slowly, his eye fell shut, and behind it, he found placid, motionless darkness. He knew she was still crying inside, that tears were still streaming from her eyes, and he discerned these facts without an upward glance. Hinamori moved her hands and wiped her face, but she said nothing. Only one word came to Takumi's lips, and he endeavored to the best of his ability to put enough strength behind the word to make it audible. "Arigato." He wasn't sure the word was discernable, so he repeated himself. "Hontou ni… arigato." Takumi pulled away and paused when he noticed the eyes staring into his own, puzzled, perplexed, and still shining with unshed tears. "You didn't do anything wrong. If you hadn't called out in that moment, then I would have been entirely devoured. I would have killed everything in sight and wound up much the same way my father did."

"What if it happens again and no one's there to pull you out of it?" She dreaded the thought, especially after she and Haru took so much trouble to save him. It troubled her so much that she bowed her head again, not wanting to see the futility in his eyes.

"It won't happen again," he stated, placing such confidence behind his words that she had to peer up again. "That's a promise. I don't want taichou suffering for me, beings she's got her own cross to bear, but more importantly, I don't want to see you make that face again, Momo." Despite his condition, he managed a smile before he drew away and fell back. Now that movement was agonizing him less, he managed to situate himself in a comfortable manner. Sunlight was just beginning to pour in, drawing his attention momentarily. A shadow leaned over him and replaced the cloth, and the touch of its icy exterior against his forehead made him sigh contently. "Did you stay with me all night?"

"I had to. Yamashita-taichou asked that I do so, and I'm sure she would have, except she was already exhausted from…" She abruptly stopped without finishing her sentence.

"Reiatsu no henshin."

"How did you know?" she asked.

"I have my ways," he answered cryptically. "Anyway, I know I'm not good company when I'm out like a light… did you get any sleep?"

"Enough." Takumi took comfort in her response without expressing it. He turned his head again, watching the sun as it spread closer to him, relishing his ability to see. Tentatively, he stretched a hand towards the rays. As his fingertips crossed the boundary between light and shadow, warmth spread through them.

_This is nice, _he thought. _Maybe I can finally have the life I want. Without this eye, though, is it still possible to… _A gentle knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. He kept his eye averted as it slid open, and two figures stepped into the room.

"Yamashita-taichou, ohayogozaimasu."

"Ohayo, Momo-san," she responded, folding her hands and bowing slightly. "I hope I didn't wake you."

"Iie… I've been up for a while now."

"You must be tired," Haru said, stepping across the floor and kneeling beside her them, motioning for a hesitant Ishida. "I will try to make this brief. Takumi…"

"Hai."

"I'm happy to see you awake again."

"Taichou, I…" He hesitated, knowing that Haru had much to say, but he couldn't help himself. He knew he wouldn't be awake much longer. "I… I think it's best if… if I…" Takumi couldn't bring himself to look at her inquisitive features, and so he shut his eye. "I think it's best if I not be your vice captain."

"Nani?"

"I lost an eye in the battle, as you probably already know. I was used to fighting with it before. I had vague peripheral perception and could see perfectly straight on, but without it, I'm perfectly useless. That eye was very important. Even if I could get it back somehow, to be that careless… it's…" Takumi looked to her as if she possessed the correct word, but the only thing she expressed at the moment was understanding and mild irritation in his diffidence. "I'm not cut out for it, even if I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get through a battle without wanting to kill something now. Without the eye, it's no good. I'm just not strong enough." Haru sighed at his comment and peered at the sunlight.

"This really is a matter we should discuss in private. Besides, Momo-san really should get some sleep. Would it inconvenience you if we resume this conversation once I have said what I need to?"

"Of course not," he answered. "Gomen." Haru frowned slightly, pushing her glasses up her nose until the light glinted off of them.

"You seem troubled, Haru-sama. If this is too much strain on you…"

"If it was, do you honestly think I would have gone through all the trouble of coming in uniform?" she retorted, straightening her glasses again. Her hair was fully restrained as it often was in Soul Society, and the sash around her waist shimmered as the sunlight reached it. She sighed heavily again, then began. "After last night's incident, I asked Ishi-nii to contact the Yamashita clan in Tokyo so that we may delay our travel as much as possible. Unfortunately, they will only allow me a thirty-six hour extension, since ojii-sama's condition seems to be growing worse by the day. That adjusts our departure time to Sunday afternoon. However, I seriously doubt Takumi will be in any condition to travel by then." She sighed again, not realizing until that moment just how difficult it was to deliver this news.

"What do you intend to do, taichou?" Momo asked.

"I have no choice but to leave him here. Orihime-san can do nothing for his wounds, though how he became resistant to phenomenon rejection is beyond me."

"You can't honestly intend to leave him here alone," Ishida stated.

"Iie… I can't in good conscience do that, so… I must ask you to stay as well, Momo-san." She was just about to express her willingness to fulfill Haru's request when, quite suddenly, Takumi turned his head, his one eye blazing with determination.

"I'm not letting you leave me here, taichou."

"Takumi, I'm not asking you to stay. This is an order."

"I don't care what the hell it is," he answered, turning obstinately away. "I'm not going to stay here just because of some stupid eye. If I don't go where you go, then what kind of vice captain does that make me?" Haru blinked at his audacity. Takumi hadn't been so ardent about being her vice captain since he first asked her. The recollection of his own words dawned upon him, but by that point, Haru was already smiling.

"Very well, Fujiwara-fukutaichou. I will send for Orihime-san a little later, and this time, that demon of yours had better cooperate."

"Oh, he will," Takumi answered, again with a smile that bore an unsettling amount of confidence. Haru had half a mind to ask him about the mysterious change in attitude, but she had other things to cope with at the moment. Folding her hands, she rose to her feet and turned towards the door.

"Please get some rest, Momo-san. You look exhausted."

"Hai," she answered faintly, "demo… where am I supposed to sleep?"

"There is another spare room down the hall to your right. I took the liberty of setting you up a futon earlier this morning."

"Arigato-gozamiasu, taichou," she stammered.

"No need to thank me. I've already got one of my subordinates off of his feet. To have you off of yours would jeopardize the division's stability quite a bit. Please watch your health, and if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask Urahara-san for it." Hinamori walked off in the direction Haru indicated, turning to wave and smile at her captain before disappearing. Once she was gone, Haru bent her head in deep thought, then peered back to Takumi as she dug through her haori. "Here," she stated, tossing the article at him.

"What is it?" Curious, he sat halfway up, and leaning his weight on one arm, he lifted the article with the other.

"Put it on once Orihime has healed your wounds. She should be here by nine in the morning. You should get some more rest before she arrives."

"Taichou, I…" He paused and bit his lip, seeing the way Ishida was peering at him. A trace of fear raced through him, but when he glanced at Haru, he found her still facing the door. "Last night… for last night, I…" Takumi's words failed him again, and he bowed his head in shame, glancing up only when he heard the rustle of her hakama as she spun to face him.

"Douitashimashite." She said the word so easily, and with a smile so warm, it stilled the icy nervousness stirring in him. "Now, get some sleep. I'll bring you breakfast once I'm finished."

"You don't have to wait on me."

"You're right. I don't, but the truth is, I don't know anyone else here that is willing to, not after your escapades yesterday." There was the sharp edge of a chide in her tone, but it did nothing to displace his contentment. "Please exercise prudence when using your power in the future."

"Hai, taichou," he murmured. She nodded her head and turned back towards the door, the bottom of her hakama rustling gently as she walked. He clutched the article she had given him, laying it against his chest as he laid down. Ishida followed her out, casting one last dubious look at Takumi before shutting the door and devotedly following Haru down the hallway.

"Well, there is one matter taken care of," she murmured. "Arigato, Ishi-nii. No thanks to your sewing skills and Orihime's phenomenon rejection, Takumi should be on his feet in no time."

"Haru-sama, there is something unsettling about him."

"Almost everyone says so."

"Haven't you noticed, yet? His reiatsu is entirely different than it was last night. It seems more… unified."

"What significance do you think that bears?"

"I'm not sure."

"Hmm," Haru said to herself. "Perhaps he reconciled with his zanpakutoh after I left him."

"Speaking of using your power prudently, I don't believe you exercised very much caution or wisdom when you suddenly decided to release your limiter last night."

"It was only one…"

"Yes, the one that keeps you alive," he answered darkly. When Haru stopped, Ishida took no notice until he had bumped into her, and immediately, he leapt back, asking rapidly if he had inadvertently caused her harm, but he found a strange look on her face.

"Gomenasai," she stated, bowing to signify the depth of her remorse. "I worried you."

"Haru-sama, it… it's fine, really." The uneasy edge in his voice caused her to stand up. She kept her hands folded, but behind the glasses, her eyes were glinting with inquiry. Ishida coughed once, attempted to speak, then choked on his words a second time. "May I ask you something?"

"Certainly," she answered.

"What do you intend to do about the Yamashita clan?"

"I'm not sure yet."

"Haru-sama, I only got you a two day extension. If you haven't figured it out by then, I'm afraid something terrible will happen to you."

"They can't force me to do anything against my will." Haru extended one hand and rested it on his shoulder, causing him to tense up and find her brilliant eyes in the dim hallway. "So please don't worry anymore, Ishi-nii. I promise I'll handle things with the utmost degree of expedience. Besides, if they attempt to force me into anything, I'm more than certain you would interfere, or at the very least notify Urahara-sensei so he could." For some reason, those words did nothing to comfort Ishida. He immediately threw his eyes in some dark corner, glancing back at her briefly before looking to the ceiling. "Is something the matter?"

"Iie… betsuni," he answered swiftly. "You should really think about getting some more rest."

"I told you I needed briefed. Besides, I slept enough."

"Haru-sama, you know…" He paused and shook his head. "Never mind." She couldn't help but inwardly observe his strange behavior. Nevertheless, they made it to the dining room without further comment, where Haru began consuming the food already laid out of her. She chewed a bite, then glanced incredulously at Ishida. "What's the matter?"

"You made this?"

"I had some spare time before I came this morning, so I thought I would make you breakfast."

"That's very kind of you," she murmured. "I only wish I could repay all the favors you've done me over the years." An intense gloom hung in the air as Haru ate, but it was displaced when she smiled. "You have other things to say."

"Haru-sama, I…" He broke off again, then continued. "Is it wise to be moving around so much after a brush with death?"

"What do you mean?"

"Yesterday, you were attacked by an espada. To make matters worse, you released one of your limiters and used a technique known for being highly exhausting. You look a little pale, almost as if you're afraid of something."

"What would I have to be afraid of?" she asked, endeavoring to hide the trepidation in her eyes and in her voice. "Maybe I'm just a little anxious about this whole family reunion thing. That's why I've started wearing my hair up like this again, and why I've taken to wearing my glasses. If I have no other barriers, then at least I can hide behind them."

"May I ask… what you intend to do about Byakuya-san?"

"He said he would be going back to Seireitei as soon as I leave."

"Then… what are you going to tell the Yamashita clan?"

"About what?" Ishida quirked a brow, and then motioned to Haru with his hand. She swallowed her bite of food and moved a little closer. When he waved again, she tilted her head but obeyed his request. He rested a hand on her shoulder and put his lips next to her ear.

"Last night… did anything, you know, happen?"

"Nani?" she inquired.

"I'm only asking because I passed by your door when I left. To say the least, things sounded… questionable." Haru tried to think about the previous night, rubbing her head and sighing. Then, in an instant, a garnet-colored blush filled her every feature.

"You never repeat what you heard. Understand?"

"I don't need to," he answered. "You had a whole audience there to hear you." Haru made an indistinguishable sound, one full of fret that drove her to stand and face the wall. She must have been so wrapped up in Byakuya's presence that she had forgotten to check herself. She made a mental note to do some skull-cracking later in the day. "I just want you to make things clear to me so I can make it clear to everyone else. I wouldn't let you suffer that kind of mortification."

"Nothing happened."

"Are you sure?"

"Ishi-nii, do you honestly think I'd lie to you? In the condition I was in, Byakuya-sama would never… hell, he wouldn't have even if I was at full strength. He has a propriety that isn't easily broken."

"Then… what were you doing?"

"He was…" Haru paused and raised a finger to her lips, wondering just how she could put it without making matters worse. "He…"

"I was giving her a back rub."

"Byakuya-sama!" she cried, covering her cheeks and whirling to the captain who stood in the doorway.

"Ohayo, Haru-kun."

"O… ohayogozaimasu." He glanced to the quincy, who nodded without changing his bewildered expression. Haru gave a woeful sigh, realizing she couldn't be angry with him.

"Am I interrupting something?"

"We are almost finished," Haru answered. With a nod, Byakuya slid the door shut, and in the silence that settled in behind him, his steps could be heard winding down the hall towards the building's exit. "That man…" She said those words with a smile. "He's too good for me."

"Haru-sama," Ishida interrupted. "I should caution you that the Yamashita clan would not in any way, shape, or for support your relationship with him. What if they found out?"

"The only way they would find out is if you told them, and you haven't done that, have you?" Haru waited for a rigid affirmation, but she waited in vain. "Ishi-nii?"

"I may have… mentioned you were currently a guest at the manor of a captain in Soul Society."

"Anything else?" Haru inquired.

"Iie, but I wouldn't put it past any of them not to surmise your relationship with him. I never specified whether the captain was a man or a woman. Still, the Yamashita clan typically assumes the worst, especially in your case." She nodded her head and sat back down, nibbling on what was left of her food. "Hontou ni gomenasai, Haru-sama. I feel so treacherous, but they wouldn't stop harassing me, and they knew I went to visit you in Soul Society. They demanded to know where your current residency was, or else they would directly send for you and find out themselves. I wanted to spare you that, so…" He stopped, bowing his head slightly lower.

"You did what I would have asked you to," she stated. "There is no shame in that, Ishi-nii."

"Demo…"

"I realize it will cause some trouble for me in the long run. Still, the fact that I got to spend that long in Soul Society, undisturbed by their incessant harassment… it's all because you keep intercepting them. I owe you more than words can say, and if I knew there were some way to make it up to you, then I would happily fulfill that task. Unfortunately, there is no way. No word or deed can ever hope to reimburse you by itself."

"You owe me nothing."

"Nonsense," Haru answered, clapping her hands together as she finished her meal. "You have willingly stayed by me all this time. It isn't duty that made you do that. Even if I asked, you wouldn't have done so unless you wanted to."

"If I wanted to do it, then why would I need reimbursement?"

"Because no one else was willing to do what you did, Ishi-nii, and because no one else has made greater sacrifices for my happiness than you have." She smiled and folded her hands, beaming in a way that only angels could, and for an instant, Ishida imagined that she really glowed with the elation she felt. "I hate to ask you for anything else. I feel like I rely on you so much. I'm not sure how I'll ever manage to get along without you, but… this one favor, I must ask you. If anything happens here, anything at all, then please call me."

"Where are you going?"

"I need some air." The answer was cryptic and possessed dark overtones. Nonetheless, Ishida sat and watched her go, noticing she hadn't even touched her tea.

"That's strange," he murmured. "Haru-sama always said tea was one of the three loves of her life. I suppose now, it would be four, though, and Byakuya-san trumps all." Ishida lifted the cup and tilted it slightly, feeling a sting deep within him sharper and more irritating than a steam burn. _You seem so unsettled, Haru-sama. I'm not sure what it is. I just wish… you felt you could share it with me frankly. Maybe then, I could settle my own mind as well._

A bitter chill swept through the air, bringing with it the promise of winter, but Byakuya was immune to the chill. He was more occupied with his own thoughts. He stood in the lawn of Urahara's shop, staring vacantly at the sky above while his mind meandered. "It looks like it's finally going to rain." The comment startled him, and he turned to glance at its source. Haru shivered as a gust swept about her, picking up the loose strands of hair and the ends of the silver ribbon that secured the remainder of it. Nonetheless, she wore a smile, even though she was visibly cold. "I've been waiting for a long time… to see it again."

"Nande?"

"It was raining… the day we met," she answered, stepping beside him and peering at the sky which, to some odd reason, was no longer all that interesting to Byakuya. "Aside from that, I've always loved the rain because it is a reflection of myself."

"I am unsure of your meaning, Haru-kun." His comment earned him a sideways glance, but nothing more. With a deep breath, Haru's eyes disappeared. She tilted her palms to the gray blanket rolling across the sky, relishing the nearness to Suzaku she suddenly felt. "You… have an inner world beyond the void you once told me about, and that place… is very rainy when you are calm." Haru's violet eyes flashed open, fixing themselves on his stoic expression. "When I first met you, your reiatsu seemed typical. It was stable, and aside from the high intensity that occurred from time to time, it was placid. Now, it is like water striking the surface of a pond. It ripples constantly and changes so much from day to day, from hour to hour… yet the essence remains the same. Rain or no, it is still water in the end."

"How did you know all that?" He gave a slight smile and peered to the sky again.

"I surmised it."

"You seem to be as terrible at lying as I am," she stated. "Did Ishi-nii tell you anything?"

"I will repeat my prior statement: I surmised it."

"Byakuya-sama…" Haru used a stern tone that got her no results save Byakuya's swift change in direction. Before he could even start walking, Haru seized the back of his scarf, clamping onto it with a startling amount of certainty. Puzzled, he turned to her, finding the same hand he had deemed unhesitant trembling slightly and her violet eyes cast at the ground. "There is… another reason… I love the rain so much." His eyes widened slightly. Her voice was trembling just as much as her hand, and when he moved put a hand under his chin, Haru's free hand grabbed his wrist, and she bent her head even further. He imagined an icy needle tapping against his shoulder, shooting through the fabric of his haori and contacting his skin. Soon, the rain was tap dancing against every surface it could find, Haru included. In a moment, she released both his wrist and his scarf, turning towards the sky and lifting her face up to it, spinning in an almost jovial circle with her arms outstretched as if she planned to dance with the descending drops of water. All the while, the expression on her face was somewhere between joy and sorrow. Once she was worn out and slightly dizzy, she stopped, letting her arms fall to her sides as she slowly turned and looked him in the eye. "No one… can see you cry when it's raining."

"Is that so?" he inquired, pacing in her general direction and brushing a finger against his cheek. "But I can tell you are crying." She smiled and nodded again. "Nande?"

"I don't… I don't know. I honestly don't…" The truth crossed her mind, and the very thought of it was enough to send her flying into Byakuya's arms. Haru clung to him for tear life, pressing her face against his shoulder and sobbing quietly into it. Sighing, he wound one arm around her waist and slowly stroked the back of her head with the other. "Gomen," she sniffled, attempting to pull away, but he wouldn't have it, not now that Haru had been ensnared. Byakuya allowed her enough room to pull back just enough so she could see his face. As if returning to herself, she put on a smile and pushed one strand of hair away from his jawbone. "You're soaking wet." A thought crossed her mind, immediately summoning a fiery blush to her cheeks.

"What were you just thinking?"

"Betsuni," she said hastily, again trying to pull away without success.

"Were you thinking about me in kinagashi again?"

"You didn't have to remind me of that!"

"Then… what?" Haru paused, gazed at him for a moment, and then cleared her throat.

"Promise you won't laugh?"

"Have I ever laughed at you?" Byakuya returned. After a moment of consideration, Haru realized that she had never really heard Byakuya laugh. True, there were times when he came dangerously close, but those dark little chuckles could hardly constitute as laughter. Still, they were enough for her; she had other things on her mind at the moment.

"I was… just thinking…"

"Yes?"

"It's terribly embarrassing. In fact, it may make you blush."

"Go on, Haru-kun." She raised a hand to the side of her face and tilted her head with thought.

"If you were to catch a cold from this, would you be willing to let me take care of you?"

"Willing?" he inquired, chuckling slightly. "I would insist upon it. After all, I have taken care of you all this time, have I not?" Haru felt the weight of his hand fall upon her head, and even though fresh tears sprang free of her eyes, she smiled warmly at the thought.

"I think it would be more accurate to say that we've taken care of each other."

"A valid point." Byakuya brushed one tear away with the back of his index finger. "That means I should be making an honest effort to stop your tears, shouldn't I?"

"Iie… you aren't the reason…"

"Still, I feel a little… helpless." Byakuya paused to consider whether or not it was the right word, then decided that it was. "You are beautiful when you cry, Haru-kun. Still, I much prefer your smile to these tears." She peered at him while she laughed, wiping one tear away and endeavoring to compose herself.

"Is that part of your ploy?"

"No," he replied. "I had something else in mind." Without further explanation, Byakuya leaned forward, causing Haru to instinctively shut her eyes and wait for the lips to meet her own. She was not disappointed; they touched her own softly before withdrawing, nearly driving her to object until they pressed first against one eye, then the other. Bewildered, Haru peered at Byakuya and noted his pleading expression. A warm palm pressed against her face while the expression grew to resemble that she had seen only two nights ago in a different environment. "Please don't cry anymore, Haru-kun." She studied the expression for a moment more before she sighed and nodded her head.

"Hai." Byakuya was pleased at the stability in her answer and finally released her. Once free, Haru remained rooted to the spot for a moment. By then, her palms had instinctively tilted upward as if they knew better than her mind that it was still raining. A smile spread across her face, appearing by degrees until its presence was not only undeniable but overwhelming. "It feels… nice." Her balance fell to pieces when Byakuya seized her arm and started dragging her towards the threshold. "Hey, what gives? I was enjoying myself."

"At this rate, both of us will catch colds." Haru easily pulled herself free, stumbling backwards and nearly falling flat on her back, but she caught herself. "Haru-kun…"

"I couldn't care less about my health at the moment. Besides, I haven't seen rain in three months. Soon, the weather will turn, and it will be too cold for that." Byakuya paused to consider it. Then, he stepped out to rejoin her. "Go inside. I'll be fine." To demonstrate his refusal, Byakuya gently wound his arms around her shoulders.

"I am not going anywhere." The mist from his breath brought a considerable amount of heat to her face. Still, she managed a smile, calm yet troubled, and accepted his gesture, remaining willing for only a few moments. She escaped his grasp and captured his hand with hers, pulling him gently forward. "Haru-kun…"

"Come on," she said. "I want to take a walk."

"Now? Like this?" Haru gave him no time to answer. She simply pulled on his hand again, imploring him with those innocent, eager violet eyes, and knowing that it was probably for the better since it would give their current state an alibi, he soon matched his footfall to hers as they wandered away from the shop, temporarily leaving it and the trouble that their stay would inevitably cause behind.

The rain continued to fall, but the others made a timely arrival, wandering into their typical meeting place to find Urahara and Ishida alone. They exchanged greetings, during which Renji wandered in and asked the question that was on everyone's mind. "Where's Haru?"

"I think she went out," Ishida replied, unable to provide anything outside a vague answer. "She should be back any minute."

"You seem rather calm about the matter, Ishida," Rukia noted. "Did something happen?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary." He said it dolefully, as if he regretted not having foreseen the events before they already played out. After a lengthy moment of silence, Ishida detected a muffled tone in the hallway, bewildered but coherent. He could only just make out the words.

"Taichou, you're soaking wet! What happened?" At that point, Renji instinctively pulled the door open a crack, and they all strained their ears to hear Haru respond.

"Gomenasai… I suppose I got distracted and forgot to grab an umbrella." No longer able to restrain himself, Renji leaned back and peered out the door. The young girl and her captain standing side-by-side dripping wet was certainly a sight he never thought he would see. Haru seemed to be her normal placid self despite the events of the previous night, and Byakuya had the familiar look of indifference plastered on his face. "Anyway, I need to discuss something with sensei. Is he awake?"

"Hai, but he has other visitors as well."

"Splendid. It will give me a chance to clarify one detrimental point," she answered, making her way towards the dining room with quick strides. Byakuya followed her, disgruntled but nonetheless fascinated at how quickly her mood had changed, how she had been struck by some sort of epiphany while walking along the empty streets, and how she had, as usual, left everything unexplained, dragging him along by his hand (and his scarf when he decided to object) with a fervor he seldom saw in her. Renji, seeing the three pairs of footsteps heading his way, attempted to pull his head in, but instead, he wound up losing his balance and falling flat on his back, cursing loudly as his skull collided with the floorboards.

"Abarai-san, what are you doing?" Hinamori demanded, stumbling back into Haru and immediately leaping away. "Taichou, you're freezing. You should really think about drying off first…"

"No time. Tell Jinta-san and Ururu-san to get some tea, if you could, please." She said all this as she pulled the door the rest of the way open, still clutching the hand of the sopping wet Byakuya as he stood behind her with the typical blank stare on his face. Haru remained composed until she saw the familiar suspicion rise in each face, some more discreet than others. Orihime immediately noted that she needed to take care of Takumi, and Chad made some excuse to accompany her. Once they were, gone, Haru realized she was still clinging to Byakuya's hand and made some effort to let go, but he wasn't so willing to relinquish his grip. "Byakuya-sama," she said quietly in a tone full of chiding. A clever light flashed in his eyes, accompanied by a blatant refusal that caused her to sigh in surrender. "Fine, you win, but only because you let me drag you around in the rain."

Around that time, Haru realized that everyone in the room had odd looks painted on their faces, looks that were a cocktail of curiosity, horror, and mortification. "Oh, for the gods' sakes, nothing happened!" she retorted, coaxing her fingers free and seating herself abruptly. Her posture immediately took on the rigidity of someone doing business, though her hands immediately worked their way to her temples and proceeded to move in small, therapeutic circles to repress her headache. "Honestly, I'm starting to think every one of you have a one-track mind."

"With all do respect, Haru-sama, I made an attempt at explaining…"

"You shouldn't haveto," Haru interrupted as Byakuya folded his legs beneath him and sat beside her. "Byakuya-sama is a man of propriety. He would never…" The heat spread across her face, not because of the subject matter, but because it dawned upon her that at one recent instant, he had actually tried something of that nature. With a straight face, she cleared her throat and glanced to Byakuya, catching a glimpse of the amusement in his eyes just before they fell shut. "You're actually enjoying this?"

"Only because I enjoy seeing you blush," he answered.

"You're lucky I don't crack your damn skull open," she retorted, crossing her arms.

"So, if you weren't doing that, then what were you doing?" Haru's hand shot towards her sword as a different kind of heat sprang to her eyes, but she was stopped from doing any serious damage by Byakuya, who rested one hand firmly on her wrist and threw an equally murderous leer at Renji. It was one of those moments in which Renji was thankful looks couldn't kill.

"Baka," Rukia retorted. "Obviously, the matter is personal, and any amount of prying will be utterly useless." At that point, Jinta and Ururu arrived with the towels, and Hinamori was close behind, carrying a tea pot laden with cups.

"Man, you really weren't kidding when you said they were soaked," Jinta retorted, scratching his head and tossing a towel at Haru. She easily caught it and disappeared under it, rubbing her scalp to remove some of the moisture. "Why the hell'd you stay out there, anyway, Haru?"

"You know how she is," Urahara offered with a shrug since Haru was occupied at the moment, trying to free the restraint from the rest of her hair. Surprisingly, it was only damp and tumbled over her shoulders as she finally liberated it. She paused for a moment to glance at Byakuya, who was so absorbed in watching her that his own hands had suddenly stopped working. After setting the rest of the towels in the corner, the two children wandered towards the exit.

"Please try not to stay out in the rain so long next time, Haru-sama," Ururu murmured before shutting the door. She sighed heavily, draping the towel over her shoulders, watching as Urahara compulsively poured cup after cup of tea. She received hers with a still hand. The cup was hot to the touch, and the liquid burned through her throat, sending a much appreciated wave of heat to the core of her being. Her content sigh scattered the steam that rose from the earthen vessel in her hands, which she held close as if it were more precious than gold.

"I have always found it strange that you can take such enjoyment out of nothing more than a simple cup of tea," Byakuya noted. Haru peered at him for a moment, having forgotten that he was still staring at her, and smiled in a cryptic manner.

"I learned to enjoy the simple things when thoughts of relevant matters made me miserable."

"Gomen." He apologized hastily and without thinking, but there was no indicator of pain in Haru's eyes as she turned to him; only a faint shock that he had just said that in front of so many people, all of whom shared her astonishment. Slowly, her face broke into a smile again.

"That matter aside," Haru stated, clearing her throat and altering her face to a more composed, business-like expression, "Urahara-sensei, I have something important I need to discuss with you, unless it had already been mentioned already by Byakuya-sama or Renji." From the puzzled glimmer in his smoky eyes, Haru could plainly see that "it" had not been mentioned. "Roughly two weeks ago, an espada entered Seireitei. It was the same one that nearly killed Takumi yesterday. By itself, this security breach is of a serious nature, but when combined with the fact that the only ones capable of sensing this espada were Momo-san and myself…" Haru paused and turned her cup slightly, her eyes suddenly taking on a pensive hue.

"Are you saying it got in undetected?"

"Hitsugaya-taichou took the liberty of checking with the twelfth division," Haru stated. "On the day the espada entered Seireitei, there was no record of any infiltration, nor was there any the day before or the day after. Low-level hollow are still perceived by the detection systems they have, but anything beyond typical hollow aren't showing up. What's more…" She paused and glanced to Ishida, who nodded his head for her to continue despite the look of concern spreading over his face. "What's more, they escape detection on the personal level. I know for a fact that both Toushiro-san and Byakuya-sama are experts at detecting reiatsu, and yet the day they came to my assistance, they only came because of my own reiatsu."

"Then they aren't putting out any reiatsu at all?"

"Iie," Haru answered. "I can feel it, and I think Momo-san felt it, too." Hinamori nodded hastily in agreement. "Still, that doesn't explain why no one else can. I was wondering if perhaps you could explain it." Urahara set his tea down and unfolded his fan. His eyes peered over it as he thought.

"Well, by typical standards, you aren't exactly a shinigami." Ishida expected her to get upset, especially when he recalled how much the uncertainty tormented her as a child, but Haru only peered blankly at him and let the smile slowly spread over her face.

"That is true," she admitted. "My reishi perception is above average. Still, I feel safe saying that the reiatsu is what I ultimately followed. After all, there are so many little disturbances in the reishi, and their density changes in certain areas from day to day, even from hour to hour… I highly doubt I could distinguish an alteration caused by an arrancar from one made by a shinigami."

"It really is the reiatsu," Hinamori put in. "Taichou was with me when it first happened."

"And are you exceptionally good at sensing reiatsu, or reishi for that matter?"

"Iie… I'd say I'm about average for reiatsu, and I hardly give spirit particles a second thought." Urahara made a sound that indicated he was deep in thought. As Haru sipped her tea, she felt numerous pairs of eyes on her, which caused her to stir uncomfortably.

"Clearly, the system is in need of some assistance if it's incapable of detecting arrancar."

"Actually," Haru murmured, "it's only incapable of detecting arrancar in Soul Society."

"Nani?" Urahara inquired, lifting his hat and scratching his head. "I built that system myself over a hundred years ago. I expected alterations and upgrades to be made over time."

"They have been. Toushiro-san said it was updated last month by the twelfth division captain."

"Have you met him yet?"

"I haven't had the pleasure," Haru answered.

"Oh, it's more a curse, really," Ishida retorted. "I hate all shinigami equally, but I absolutely appall him."

"Nii-san." There was a sharp note of chiding in her voice, one that made him cross his arms indignantly as if refusing to relinquish his declaration. "I swear, you have absolutely no tact. Your ill feelings are justified, but if I were you, I wouldn't have the audacity to proclaim them in a room full of shinigami." He fell startlingly compliant under her sharp tone, throwing his eyes at the table and pretending to be interested in the grain of the wood. With a heavy sigh, she shut her eyes and let her head fall against the table loudly enough to send a wave of jolts through the room. "I just don't get it… how is it that I'm the only one capable of perceiving them? It hasn't just been once; it's been a handful of times, ever since Shimori-san was killed. Surely, my involvement in that hasn't changed anything…" Haru turned slightly, suppressing a slight gasp as a wave of pain raced through her back.

"Haru-kun…"

"I'm fine," she interrupted. "Just… a little sore is all." She lifted her head, peering across the table at her sensei, who studied her with mild concern. "You honestly don't know anything about it?"

"Don't sound so woeful, Haru-sama. You only just asked me. If you give me some time, then I'm sure I can tell you something…"

"Iie." Haru glanced away abruptly, then slowly bowed her head to hide the dark and serious look in her eyes. "Anything you happen to dig up on this matter, any information you obtain… I want you to tell Genryuusai-dono, not me." An uncomfortable moment of silence passed, in which Urahara sighed slightly and rubbed his head. "Still, I have to thank you for thinking of me, even after all this time." She felt her fingers twitch, as if they wished to tighten, but she had already come too dangerously close to giving things away. She did her best to hide her anguish with a bitter smile, and it seemed to pacify them despite its obvious speciousness. Byakuya took advantage of the opportunity and rested his hand over hers, causing her false contentment to melt beneath the surprise that worked its way over her expression. When she peered into his own eyes, she saw the undercurrent of concern that he couldn't express with anything more than a look and a gesture. "Byakuya-sama…"

"Your hands are warm," he stated in his usual deadpan. She gave a slight laugh and glanced away, taking her tea in her free hand and swallowing its remaining contents.

"This is true, but these hands have things to do, so I'm afraid you'll have to let me go." Byakuya reluctantly did as she asked.

"I must ask the reason."

"Don't you feel it?" Everyone looked puzzled except Hinamori, who turned towards the door with relieved, anxious eyes. "I'm obligated to check up on him, now. I'm not really sure how long I'll be."

"Matte," Rukia interrupted as both Haru and Hinamori rose. Only Haru glanced back to her. "I don't understand any of this. Why so much trouble for a Fujiwara? He's cursed, and he's bad news…"

"Then we are all the more alike."

"Let it go, Rukia," Ichigo said, crossing his arms. "There's no sense in fighting her. She'd go even if it meant dying. That's just the way she is."

"But why?" she repeated. "You have no obligation to him."

"On the contrary…" Haru's tone was touched with the same shadow that had earlier been in her eyes. "I have every obligation to him, because he is my vice captain." The shock in the air was nearly tangible; only those who knew were not affected. Renji actually uttered an incoherent, dumbfounded cry, which she listened to with a satisfied smile. Soon, all that remained of noise was the footsteps of two shinigami exiting. As soon as Haru shut the door behind her, Hinamori peered at her intensely. Haru nodded her head to indicate that she should follow, which she did without even being asked.

"Yamashita-taichou, are you sure your words were wise? Surely, they'll fight against this…"

"Let them fight. My mind is made up. Takumi will be my vice captain, unless you have any objections when that time to decide comes, in which case, the two of you will have to fight for the position. Still, I'll happily make you my sanseki. He is more handy in combat since he has a strong body and does little thinking, and you are more handy with paperwork since you have experience and a strong mind yet a currently weakened body… though that will hardly last long." Her words fell away in the empty hall, though their steps still shuffled faintly. "Do you… hate me for doing this, Hinamori Momo?"

"Taichou…"

"I'm sure… a part of you has to. After all, you despise Takumi so much." Haru paused and peered between two locks of her hair, her one visible eye flashing with uncertainty. A stern look painted her expression, one that so much resembled the stoicism of the noble Kuchiki that Hinamori found herself unable to answer. "I feel like I should apologize to you because you were technically here first, and…" She paused again, and a different look drifted through her eyes. Clearly, Haru was mentally calling herself a fool.

"That's not it at all," Hinamori stated. "He's known you longer, and you know him better than you know me, and the two of you share remarkably similar circumstances. I don't think it's stupid, and I understand your wish that I didn't have to be displaced. I know you'll try to keep us both in power, but if that doesn't happen, I… I'll be more than happy to stand aside, because for me, just being able to serve under you is enough, regardless of my seating." The astonishment on Haru's face subsided, replaced by a subtle smile as she turned away.

"Don't lie and say it won't bother you, Momo-san." She said nothing in return, nor did she expect her captain to express anything more than she already had, yet Haru continued speaking. "The reason I chose Takumi is because of a promise. It isn't that I disrespect the power you already possess. I simply think a change in seating would do the division some good. Then again, I don't think it's very fair, me trying to convince you of this. You two can sort it out amongst yourselves, but if you come to me again and say what you just did, then I must ask that you be completely and entirely sincere. No façade, no hesitance, nothing but an undeniably genuine statement of how you truly feel about the matter." Hinamori opened her mouth, but when she saw Haru's critical eyes peering over her shoulder, she simply bowed her head.

"Hai, Yamashita-taichou." Haru stopped as she reached the door and rested one hand against the handle. She looked back at Hinamori again, this time with an undeniable look of suspicion in her eyes.

"Are you sure you're still willing to go in there with me?"

"Of course," she answered. "Even if I resent him, I would follow you anywhere." Haru pulled the door open, causing Orihime and Chad to throw their eyes in her direction. As she crossed the floor, Hinamori followed her in and shut the door.

"So, is he responding well to it this morning?"

"Hai, he is. Demo… there is something you should know."

"Nandesuka?" she asked, seating herself across from Orihime. As she peered directly across the yellow-orange dome covering her vice captain, the light reflected faintly in her purple eyes, giving them a murky appearance. Orihime shifted her eyes away from Haru's.

"Last night…" Chad murmured.

"Last night," Haru said sternly, "Byakuya-sama enjoyed my company to its fullest without breaking any sort of propriety. I know you don't know him well, but you should at least know enough about me to realize that I'd never do anything in bad taste like that."

"Gomenasai, Haru-san. I just…"

"Hey, don't apologize. Everyone makes assumptions." Haru glanced briefly to Hinamori as she spoke without a trace of resentment in her eyes. "Myself included. In fact, I just did. I assumed you knew me well enough. I also assumed I would live out my life as a human before taking up a zanpakutoh." She smiled reassuringly at Orihime and Chad, then shared the same smile with Hinamori, who shamefully looked away. "The trouble is I tried too hard to live that normal life, so it didn't turn out so well."

"The fact that you can simply move on after that is incredible," Chad admitted.

"A windblown seed drifts until it is set down and then is blown again." Unbearable silence flooded the room. Haru said nothing else; she simply leaned her sword in the crook of her arm and shut her eyes, feeling the heat of the pale glow light her features. "I think there is another haiku that fits this situation. How does it go? Even though the sun is blinded by the clouds, it shines above their shroud."

"Very fitting." Haru's eyes shot open and peered at Takumi, who gazed at her with his one eye. She released her astonishment in one breath and closed her eyes for a moment as if trying to process things. Across the place where his left eye should have been stretched the black fabric of an eye patch, which she supposed he had secured with his own hand. His eye shifted to Orihime, then fell shut. "You can quit trying. You've done enough."

"But Fujiwara-san, your eye…"

"The eye isn't coming back," he said. "You know it, and I know it, too."

"Nande?" she asked. "Is it the same reason I couldn't heal you last night?" Takumi pulled one arm out from under the futon and folded it so his hand rested just below his neck. "Whatever it was, you subdued it. Can't you just subdue it again?"

"Just forget it," he argued, tilting his head in some arbitrary direction so he wouldn't have to look at anyone, especially not at the agonized look on Haru's face. More than anything, he couldn't stand the fact that her pity was genuine, that by living to see her hurt by the ordeal only meant that he had to endure more pain as well. Orihime shook her head in dismay and did as he had asked, a doleful look painted on her face.

"Haru-san, are you feeling any better than you were last night?"

"Last night?" she inquired, forgetting for a moment that she had come so close to losing control, but the ache that rippled through her back hastily reminded her. She winced and wrapped one arm around her waist, then smiled reassuringly. "It's still a bit sore, but I'll be all right." Haru glanced down once she felt Takumi's eye on her. As she did so, her brows fell together, and a look of deep thought came over her face. "That's right. I suppose I owe you twice the gratitude now. You not only took care of my wounds when I returned yesterday, but now, you have taken care of Takumi's as well. Arigato, Orihime-san."

"Iie… it was nothing, really," she answered, waving her hands hastily. "Besides, I couldn't even heal all of them."

"That's fine, as long as he's fit to travel." Hinamori threw her glare to a corner when Haru peered momentarily her way. "We're taking the train tomorrow at three. Do you think you'll be well enough by then?" Something strange flitted across his eye, and he immediately diverted his gaze again.

"You still want to take me?"

"Don't sound so useless," she retorted, crossing her arms. "I told you before, I don't care how many eyes you have in your head. You're my vice captain, and until you let someone take that power away from you, then it's yours… unless you don't want it, of course." He opened his mouth to counter, then immediately shut it, turning his remaining eye to Hinamori and noting the frustration, the fury, the resentment filling her expression. A trace of guilt flitted across his gaze. Suddenly, he didn't feel much like talking. Perceiving this sudden change in his mood, she glanced to Hinamori and couldn't help but smile slightly. _These two are going to be more trouble than I bargained for, _she thought, scratching her nose and realizing that she had left her glasses with Urahara and, more unsettling still, with Byakuya. "Kuso!" she cried, leaping to her feet. "If that baka steals my other pair, then…"

"Is something wrong?" Chad inquired. Realizing that she wasn't alone, Haru had no choice but to clear her throat and bow her head.

"I need to step out for a moment. Takumi, are you feeling well?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah," he answered.

"Then get dressed, and meet me downstairs in an hour."

"Eh?" Hearing those words drew him into a sitting position. "Not to question your authority or anything, but would you mind telling me why?"

"Because I need to try something." Without another iota of explanation, she hastily left the room, followed by Chad and Orihime. "If you would meet me down there as well, Momo-san, I would appreciate it." She didn't answer, and Haru, hoping that her silence could be fairly equated with compliance, exited without further instructions. Takumi followed all three of them out with his eye, then shifted his gaze to Hinamori. Immediately, he felt a little worse than he had claimed and threw himself down, covering his eye with his sleeve and trying to forget her request. Still, he was curious to see what she had referred to. No doubt, it involved something that may potentially be hazardous to her health, which made him smile for some reason, but Hinamori couldn't be forgotten so quickly. She almost gave off an aura of antipathy. A chuckle escaped him, and he folded his arms behind his head.

"So, you're finally showing your true colors." She turned to him with an angry huff, and his smile slowly broadened. "You can't deny it anymore. You hate me beyond all expression. You tried so hard to lie to yourself, but in the end, it was all for nothing."

"Urusai!" Hinamori shouted, clenching her fist. Takumi sat up and moved his hand, flexing his fingers, twisting his wrist and his shoulder, resting one hand over the spot where the espada's sword had entered him. His fingers soon wandered to the eye patch, to the fabric that covered what had once been a slightly damaged eye but was now nothing but an empty socket. As his hand wandered lower, he perceived a pair of lines, nearly parallel, that cut slightly into his cheek. With a serious glimmer in his eye, he recalled the upward swing of those claws, then the drive that had robbed him of sight and perception. He couldn't even remember hitting the ground…

Yet he had thought too long. He felt himself jerked forward by his yukata, and suddenly, he was face to face with the embodiment of odium. Hinamori pulled her remaining hand back and balled it into a fist, but she stopped when she saw the amused smile lighting his face. "Go ahead," he stated, seeing her hesitance and allowing his good eye to slide shut. She threw every ounce of strength she had into the blow, but just as it was about to strike him, she felt a crushing grip wind around her wrist. Slowly, his remaining eye opened, and through it coursed a visible current of relief. "You're pretty strong, Momo. I almost didn't catch it."

"Let go of me!" she shouted, trying to pull away. His expression grew grim as she struggled, trying to pull her arm free of his grasp. "I hate you… I hate you so much, I can't even say. It makes me sick trying to put it into words. I hate who you are, I hate how she pities you and sees you with good graces even when you're in this pathetic state… I absolutely despise you for trying to take the power that's rightfully mine!" Takumi's expression didn't change, but as she pulled her other hand back to strike him, he seized her other wrist. "Bastard! Let me go!" Slowly, he shook his head in a way that almost indicated his knowledge of what would happen if he did as she asked. Thrashing around the way she was, she would probably trip and make an even bigger fool of herself.

"Listen to me for a second." He spoke as calmly as he could, but it was difficult with Hinamori rebelling against him. "Onegai," he added in a near whisper, pulling hard enough to make her stop. She kept her eyes on the futon and never once gave him a glance even as he started speaking. "It's only been a few hours, yet in that amount of time, you've changed so much. You seemed grateful that I had survived before, but now, you seem to hate that fact more than my existence. I don't understand any of this… why the façade? And why put so much effort into it? Or perhaps I should ask… after all you did, why are you still trying to hate me?" He thought he felt a shudder work through her frame, but he immediately discounted it as a figment of his imagination. "You were the one that took care of me all night. You even helped taichou bring me back. If I've given you a reason to hate me, then say so, and be straight with it. I'm no good with subtleties." When she said nothing, Takumi applied a gentle pressure to her wrists, then released them, folding his hands in his lap and waiting for her to speak or move, but she never did. "If you've got nothing to say, then I'd like you to leave. At least then, I can fulfill my duty."

"I hate you," she said quietly.

"I think we've established that," he answered.

"Knowing what I know now, I… I can't be her vice captain." With a sigh, Takumi let his eye fall shut.

"Let me give you some advice. Someone wise once told me that I shouldn't let anyone rob me of power. So what if it means we have to fight each other one day? As long as you give it your all and I give it mine, I can say I'd be satisfied with the outcome, even if I find I'm not worthy of the position she intends to give me." That time, Takumi couldn't say he imagined her shudder. With a difficult sigh, he started to move, but only until he felt something latch onto his arm.

"I really do hate you," she said again in a tone that made him think twice about rising. "You're the worst. You're disrespectfully familiar, you have no respect for authority whatsoever, yet despite all your flaws, you've suffered so much, you make it virtually impossible for anyone who knows you well enough not to worry. You're impossible…" Hinamori released one audible sniffle before wiping one eye with the back of her hand.

"Hey, quit crying," Takumi retorted. "You either hate me or you don't. Besides, I told you before, I hate seeing women cry. It really gets to me, you know." He rested a hand on her head, weighted with reassurance, and tried to smile as he gazed into her tear-filled eyes. "I meant what I said earlier. I was grateful that you stopped me. I would have lost myself, otherwise, and that would be worse than dying. Looking back on it, if you really did hate me, you would have let me lose control. It would have meant killing a lot of people, you know?" His words only caused fresh tears to trickle from her eyes, and that was something he couldn't stand. "Hey," he murmured, drying her tears with his other hand. "Don't worry about it anymore, all right?"

"But… your eye…"

"The eyes are not sight's only vessel. I'll be fine with just one."

"Really?"

"Of course! I can kick ass completely blind and with one hand tied behind my back! You'll see! Next time one of those espada comes down here, I'll take his rotten head off in one swing!" Takumi's confidence was startlingly strong, yet at the same time, its genuineness was unmistakable. Hinamori laughed slightly and thanked him, drying the rest of her tears with a steady hand. She couldn't help but share the smile he gave her, one that quickly faded as he moved away from her and got to his feet. He gently escaped her grasp and passed around the room once, running his hand along the wall until he came to the window. "How long has it been raining?"

"Just since this morning. Why?"

"It's fitting is all," Takumi stated, opening the window and thrusting one arm into the drizzle. "Rain to wash away all the pain, all the deceit, all the sin… hell, it could rain for days for all I care. Maybe then, I could see with the eyes of the pure." The finality in his tone was so complete that Hinamori turned towards the door. She waited until she was in the hallway to dry her face again.

* * *

Whew… kudos for making it to the end. This will be a short end note since the rigors of packing are still calling me. The Japanese lesson, on the other hand, is not quite so short…

Nande: Why

Demo: But

Atsui: Hot (as in temperature)

Gomen: Apology

Arigato: Thanks

Hontou ni: Really/a lot, meaning "Hontou ni arigato" would translate roughly to "thanks a lot."

Ohayogozaimasu: Formal good morning

Ohayo: Normal good morning

Iie: No

Hai: Yes

Nani: What

Arigato-gozamiasu: Formal thanks

Douitashimashite: You're welcome

Gomenasai: Semi-formal apology

Betsuni: Nothing

Baka: Stupid

Matte: Wait

Nandesuka: What is it?

Kuso: Japanese swear word. *giggles*

Urusai: Shut up

I'm proud of you all for making it through this beastly chapter. As previously stated, I'll do my best to have the next one up as soon as my vacation wears off. Thanks again to all my readers, reviewers, and fans. Until next time, peace!


	18. Chapter 18: Serenade

A/N: …and then, I revived my motivation.

Disney World was awesome! (Thanks to everyone who asked.) Unfortunately, after I got back, my motivation kind of stalled out, plus it's summer, and I'm totally enjoying it! Anyway, I'll spare my readers any lengthy apologies since the Japanese lesson in this chapter is over 9,000. Thanks for your patience, and now for the chapter!

Oh, before I forget… special shout-out to my reviewers! CRdragonPyro, I'llxBexUrxEnigma2010, kudokuchan69, Ray-nee-chan, Valinor's Twilight, NAO-chan33, and candyredlove. You guys are awesome!

I now invite all my awesome readers, reviewers, and fans to enjoy the chapter. ^_^

* * *

_Chapter 18: Serenade_

Haru was several minutes late making the descent, but both Takumi and Hinamori glanced up as she descended and paced into their line of sight, smiling and waving despite her obvious irritation. She had restrained her hair again, and the glasses were resting safely on her face. With a slight smirk, Takumi got to his feet, turning towards his captain with complete amusement. "You're late."

"Gomenasai," she managed, bowing both for the occasion and because she was out of breath. As she stood erect, Haru pushed her glasses up her nose. "You see, I left these behind, and I had a rather troublesome time getting them back."

"Kuchiki-taichou tried to take them, then?" Hinamori asked.

"He's already got one pair. I don't see why he needs the other one."

"So, how'd you get them back?"

"The man strikes a hard bargain, but I finally convinced him to return them." That may have been the case, but the price for their return was something she loathed to consider. _He says he doesn't have a sweet tooth, but he demands that he try my legendary cooking at least once before I leave for Tokyo… damn you, sensei. You must have told him something, especially since you know how much I hate cooking. _Haru sighed heavily and wiped the sweat off of her forehead. _At least everyone else will be enjoying it, too. I can only imagine the kind of things he would try if we were alone… _A blush spread over her face before she even began considering it, and before she could spend more time imagining tortures that would never come, she felt the bewildered gazes of both Hinamori and Takumi locked on her. Haru let out a nervous laugh and waved her hand. "I… it's nothing, really…"

"You say that like you got them at a high price," Takumi retorted, causing Haru to laugh again. "But it's really none of my business, just as long as you're willing to pay it."

"Hai," she responded dejectedly. "Even if I hate what he asked me for, I've got no choice but to fulfill his request now. Troublesome is what it is, and it will take me most of the day, so we'll have to settle this quickly."

"Ready when you are, taichou."

"Right." Haru cast a glance at Hinamori, who slowly backed away. "Are you up to releasing your zanpakutoh?"

"Taichou, are you sure he should be expending so much energy so soon after nearly dying?" The question came hastily, and she immediately covered her mouth, hating the fact that it escaped and utterly despising the fact that she conceived it at all. Haru looked puzzled for a moment, then smiled with relief.

"I will leave the decision up to him, but in order for me to feel safe trying this, I'm going to need his shikai. As an aside, I'd like to mention how pleased I am that the two of you have worked things out. You had me worried earlier." Takumi nodded slightly, allowing a slightly competitive look to work its way into his expression.

"Momo, could you step back a little more?"

"I thought you said there was nothing to worry about."

"There isn't. You're in my blind spot."

"Oh," she answered, gladly taking several more steps back. Mentally, she remarked how peculiar it was that Takumi referred to it as his blind spot when he knew she was there without even turning his head. He withdrew his katana and ran his thumb along the blade, lacerating it ever so slightly.

"Sora wo bikou, Akumashoku." He drew the sword entirely away from his body, and the shadow of a scythe spread into the air before materializing. Hinamori backed away slightly, waiting for the charcoal lines to reappear on his body, but his flesh remained untouched by a blight or stigma of any sort.

"You seem a lot more controlled than you were the last time I fought you."

"A lot has happened since then. Things have changed."

"For the better, no doubt," Haru murmured, drawing her katana. "Now, I want you to come at me. Hold back enough not to kill me. I have Orihime-san standing by upstairs just in case anything goes wrong." He stood still for a moment, peering at the blade, then slowly raising his eyes to her.

"Aren't you going to release your sword?"

"Iie," she answered. "For this exercise, Suzaku requested that I avoid summoning shikai in order to fully test the possibility of exploring this avenue further." Takumi nodded and swallowed, shutting his eye for a moment while he took the scythe in both hands. The moment it opened again, he bolted forward without giving Haru the least bit of notice. By keeping her eyes on the scythe, she was able to block the strike and push him back. "Again," she said. "And keep coming at me until one of us is disarmed."

"But taichou…"

"If you're wasting time and effort worrying about me, then you have more than enough to attack." Puzzled though he was, Takumi took her words to heart and summoned every ounce of competitiveness that lurked therein. It quickly became evident in every swing he made. Hinamori couldn't help but admire the alacrity of his swing, the way he turned his weapon when the sheathe was blocked to strike with the long handle, the way he pushed Haru away and was pushed in return, and the way his one eye shone with effort and determination. Haru was no less worthy of admiration. As they exchanged blows, she grew tired of the monotony and thrust one foot in his direction, but he blocked it. After leaping backwards, Haru vaulted forward, cutting upward with her sword. Takumi shifted his hold and caught the blade, but he had no such luck. Haru flashed out of sight and attempted to attack from his blind side. He intercepted her strike and tried again to pull her sword free of her grasp. This time, Haru traveled with it, leaping into the air and driving her blade into the ground. As she pulled her foot back, she thrust it at his shoulder unexpectedly, but he again blocked the strike.

Before her feet were even on the ground, he had slashed at her twice. Both times, Haru managed to turn her body to avoid the blows. Slowly, she rose to her feet and raised her sword, blocking with one hand. "Remarkable… you seem to be predicting my movements."

"I'm only doing what my instinct tells me to, taichou. Are you being deliberately predictable?" Haru glared at him, knowing that his words were meant to be taken as an insult. She couldn't help but take them as such since she had been putting a lot of effort into being unpredictable.

_I'm overthinking this. He can't possibly know my every move, not beyond a shadow of a doubt. _Haru delivered the next blow and sharpened her glare as he blocked it. _Or… can he? _She pushed his blade back as the thought crossed her mind, then paused to let it manifest fully. _Takumi lost his eye. That much is true. Still, I can see without mine. What makes him any different? What if he has another way of seeing, too? Not the reishi, but something deeper than that, something internal. What could it be? _Haru emerged from her thoughts just in time to dodge his attack, leaping over the scythe and turning so it passed directly below her. _He has to be doing something, but I don't feel any reiatsu, and he doesn't seem to notice the spirit particles, either. _She extended one arm and pushed off the ground. _This doesn't make much sense, but… perhaps it isn't the time to be questioning his methodology._

The moment her feet struck the ground, she raised her sword thrust it against the scythe, throwing him backwards and causing him to stumble. Haru took an advantage of that moment and threw another blow at him, but he blocked it effortlessly, and with the handle no less, so a moment later, she perceived the scythe's blade coming at her. She heard Hinamori cry out even though she seemed aware that Takumi was entirely in his right mind and nowhere near possessed. _Now… _she thought, pulling the silver handle from her obi and cutting upward. The point of the scythe was nearly touching her shoulder, but Haru's arm was stronger than Takumi's, especially since the latter seemed to be in a state of shock. _So, he doesn't know my every move after all… _She shoved the scythe away and bolted forward, alternating between Suzaku and the Seele Schneider with each swing. The blows were delivered so closely to each other that Takumi had to alternate as well between dodging and countering. Offense was entirely out of the question.

"Oi, Momo! Get over here and give me a hand!"

"Nani?" she cried.

"I'm sure taichou doesn't mind since she's got it so easy fighting just me," he answered, ducking under a blow aimed for his head. Takumi thrust the base of his zanpakutoh at her feet only to have her jump again. He swung and cut only the air, watching as Haru landed. He changed the angle of his blade and brought it downwards this time. Haru knew the blow was coming and blocked it with ease, but when she moved to throw her other blade against his and hopefully disarm him, she perceived a disturbance that caused her to thrust Takumi back and counter her new opponent.

"Don't take this personally, taichou, but he's injured, and he looks like he needs a little help." Haru smiled and nodded gently, allowing herself to be forced away by Hinamori. She flashed around Takumi's next strike, turning on her heel and taking a brief respite. Already, her chest was heaving from the effort, but she wasn't giving up yet. Suddenly, her posture straightened, and she found the resolve to still her breathing. Haru's eyes flashed from one to the other, then fell shut. The dual was no longer a question of her technique, but of whether or not holding two swords would enable her to take on two opponents simultaneously.

_Suzaku, are you ready?_

_Hai._

_Then… let's give it a whirl. _She spun her zanpakutoh through the air, using her index finger as the center point and the square hoop as the apparatus that attached it to that center. Then, she drew her hand back and hastily seized the hilt, pointing the blade at them. The hand that clutched the Seele Schneider remained at her side. They discerned her readiness and rushed forward. Takumi was first to swing, and Haru moved around it. She blocked Hinamori's next blow with her quincy weapon and turned to Takumi with a downward swing of her zanpakutoh. By moving her entire body, she was able to force them both back, but their persistence was admirable. They both rushed forward again, and this time, Haru blocked. It was becoming difficult to keep her arms steady. Still, she also noted the discrepancy in their timing, which led her to a rather useful conclusion that she hastily used her advantage.

After shoving them both away again, Haru retreated to a safe distance. They would undoubtedly follow her, and they did, each at their own convenience. Haru raised the Seele this time, watching as Takumi's scythe descended. When it was just about to lacerate her arm, she turned around it, allowing her quincy weapon to hang so it was facing the ground. With Takumi still in mid swing, Haru thrust one foot against the handle of his zanpakutoh, which would keep him busy for a moment. Hinamori arrived too quickly for her to disarm him, but she immediately whirled to her other opponent, and with one upward swing of her Seele Schneider sent the unreleased Tobiume flying. By then, Takumi had recovered and charged, but Haru expected it. She turned to him and flashed briefly out of sight, reappearing just above the metal handle of the scythe, and rammed one foot downward with enough force to drive the point straight into the ground. As she descended, she pivoted, miraculously maintaining her balance. Her sword moved in Takumi's direction and came so close to his face that he leapt three steps back without even realizing he had let go of his own weapon. Only when he perceived his hands were empty did he bow his head in defeat.

"Hmm," she stated, taking one more swing through the air before sheathing Suzaku and scattering the spirit particles that composed Seele Schneider. "I think I may be onto something worthwhile here. Arigato-gozaimasu Takumi-san, Momo-san."

"Douitashimashite," they responded after a moment. Haru abandoned her post and paced slowly across the ground.

"Taichou, where are you going?"

"I have some shopping to do," she answered. "I probably won't see you two again until dinner. Eat some lunch in the meantime and rest up. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. Oh, and a word to the wise…" Haru paused and turned around. "Takumi, if you're ever in a fight with an espada again, you had better not let go because you're afraid of getting cut. Once you let go of your zanpakutoh, the fight is as good as over. All you have left is kidou, shunpo, and martial arts, and the likelihood of those standing up to a resurrección is not very high."

"H… hai, Yamashita-taichou!" Hastily, he bowed his head and raised it to watch her departure again. Suddenly, Haru disappeared from sight, carried away by her own shunpo. Once she was gone, Takumi swore loudly and retrieved his sword, sealing it and returning it to its rightful place. "Chikusho… I'm so stupid."

"Nani?"

"I shouldn't have let go," he answered, bowing his head and rubbing it.

"Takumi…"

"Gomen. It's my fault we lost…"

"If you think that, then you really are a baka. We have to remember that Yamashita-taichou is for all intents and purposes a captain. Sure, she lacks some negligible formality, but she's certainly captain-level." Hinamori recalled the espada, particularly the way Haru refused to stop even after receiving a blow, and shuddered. "She may seem innocent, but she can be ruthless, especially after someone she cares about gets hurt."

"That's just taichou for you," Takumi answered with a shrug. "Still… she's pretty cool, you know? Fighting like that… I never would have expected her to actually use another sword."

"Oh, I don't think it's a sword," Hinamori replied. "It's a quincy weapon of some sort, but it's the only one they use like a sword. What was it called… eto, eto…"

"Seele Schneider."

"Hai! That's it." She paused and glanced at him, seeing that his azure eye was locked on her. "Ano… where would you have happened to learn about that?"

"Hajime, probably. He was always talking about Shimori-sensei's work, this research he was doing on the quincy lineage of a certain noble family, how he wanted to find the whereabouts of its leader but never could." Takumi sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "He never mentioned their name, but now, I've got to wonder if the Yamashita clan was that family." Something dark yet genial touched his tone, and the way both melded together caused Hinamori to hesitate. She wanted to say something to him, something that may help alleviate his obvious angst about his inheritance of his father's mistakes, but she could only think of one thing.

"Takumi-san, gomen…"

"Hey, hey, don't apologize for things that aren't your fault." Takumi strode up to her and rested one heavy hand on her shoulder. "It's fine," he added after a moment, smiling broadly.

"It's not fine. You shouldn't have to be like this just because your father was hungry for power." Startled, he let his smile fade and peered at her, his eyebrows knitted together and his face a picture of solemnity. "About what I said… earlier this morning…"

"Hey," he interrupted, removing his hand from her shoulder and gently flicking her forehead. Hinamori cried out in surprise and rubbed the spot, watching his shadow as it passed. "I thought I told you not to apologize for things that weren't your fault." Hinamori frowned at his mood. It vexed her that he felt safe enough to act that way around her, but what vexed her even more was the smile that spread across her face because she knew she had been forgiven so quickly.

Byakuya stood under an awning and watched the water run off of it. The rain had picked up again shortly after lunch, which he had been asked to forego by Haru and her impulsive demands. "I do not see why I have to go," he had retorted as they walked along the streets, he suspending an umbrella over their heads, Haru clinging to his arm as if she expected him to escape.

"Quit complaining," she retorted. "You said you wanted me to cook for you. The least you can do is make yourself useful and help me carry the bags home."

"I also recall mentioning I wanted what you were making to be a surprise."

"Oh, you needn't worry about that." This particular trip to the human world made him recall why he hated gigai so much. To be visible to so many people, to so many eyes who didn't know who he was, gave him an uncomfortable feeling, not to mention the feeling of restriction.

_There is a physical reality to Soul Society, but it feels much less dense, _he thought, raising a hand to his chin. _For some reason, I always feel weighty when I come here, and the attention I receive for whatever the reason doesn't help matters._ He closed his eyes but could still feel people watching him, so he peered towards the cement. _If I am subjected to one more gawking woman, I'll…_

"Byakuya-sama." He immediately opened his eyes and found them locked on Haru's boots. They flew upward to her face, which was puzzled yet amused. In her hands, she had the groceries she had intended to retrieve. "Daijobu desu ka? You look irritated." A safe feeling washed over him, and he immediately wrapped his arms around Haru, who gave a slight gasp of surprise as he squeezed her. Still, she didn't argue, nor did she find a reason to fight with him. The bags hung from her fingers as she fought the urge to return his embrace. "Ano… Byakuya-sama…"

"Hmm?"

"People are staring."

"Let them stare," he answered. "As long as I'm with you, it does not faze me." Haru made a slight noise and pulled away, immediately staring at the pavement.

"Gomenasai. I didn't realize being out like this made you feel vulnerable."

"It is not so much vulnerable as… out of place. I am not used to outings like this." He shifted his eyes slightly and, finding nothing interesting, returned them to Haru. "Did you get what you needed?"

"Hai."

"Then…" Byakuya deliberately chose the two heaviest bags, then opened the umbrella and extended his arm backwards. Immediately, Haru seized it and started forward at his heels. "Can you explain something to me?"

"Sure. What is it?" Byakuya peered coldly at a pair of women, who were linked arm in arm like comrades. Both of them were staring, and one of them was laughing giddily behind her hand.

"Why do women in this world insist on staring so much?"

"Probably for the same reasons they do in Soul Society," Haru answered. "Just in case no one ever told you, you are a very attractive man, Byakuya-sama. They probably see something they like."

"I cannot possibly conceive what," he retorted.

"Have you looked in the mirror lately?" she demanded irately. "Of course women stare at you."

"I still do not…"

"How can you not understand?" Haru wanted to rub her temples but didn't dare. It would mean letting go of the bag or letting go of Byakuya, and at the moment, she wasn't willing to lose either. "They like the way you look a lot. You have a very handsome face, and you carry yourself with poise."

"But they do not know me directly."

"Yes, well, they assume that since you look nice, you are a good catch."

"Good catch?" he echoed, peering at Haru, whose face was mortified. "I don't believe I understand the concept, but if I'm right, then they are basing their entire perception of me on the way I look, and since I appear attractive to them, they wish to engage in some sort of relationship with me."

"Close enough," she replied, obviously exasperated.

"Yet they clearly see me with you."

"That is true."

"Then why do they desire me if they know I'm with you?"

"Well, they probably don't exactly know that. They probably think we're relatives or something, even though we bear no physical semblance."

"Why would they think that?"

"Honestly," Haru retorted, "are you really that naïve, Byakuya-sama? Exactly how old are you again?"

"Well, since you insist on knowing…"

"It was a rhetorical question. The point is you're a lot older than I am. People in the human world don't generally engage in relationships when their ages are so far apart, so it's normal that they assume we're related." Haru threw her glare elsewhere since she didn't really feel like being angry with Byakuya at the moment when it was humanity that she really resented. Noting her sudden change in mood, he altered the direction of his step slightly, closing the distance between them.

"Let them look," he said in the tone that always gave her chills. "You are the only one I have eyes for, Haru-kun." Immediately, Haru lifted the hand that held the sack to her face, pulling Byakuya to a stop. Fortunately, its contents remained undisturbed, but the fire in her cheeks burned intensely. Her expression remained shocked for a time since she had suddenly become used to being human. Then, she recalled it wasn't such an unusual occurrence for him to say something like that. Her astonishment and embarrassment was replaced by a smile, and she leaned against his arm as the happy feeling washed over her.

"Ah, there you are." Haru turned around and peered towards the door, expecting yet another interruption from Byakuya (she had already shoved him out twice, once with particular force since he commented in a voice too loud for comfort that she looked cute wearing an apron), but the voice didn't belong to any noble. In fact, there was no one at the door that she could see. "Down here," the voice retorted, drawing her eyes to the floor. Finding herself face to face with a black cat, Haru turned around and resumed her work with a smile.

"Why are you here, Yoruichi-sama?"

"To see you. Why else?"

"I've been here for two whole days already."

"I was out," the cat responded. "And anyway, you were gone for a lot of the time, too, if what Kisuke says is true."

"Hai… I've been busy."

"That so?" Yoruichi's reiatsu fluctuated, and she resumed human form, whereupon she chose a corner and began clothing herself. "I never expected Kisuke to tell me you were in the kitchen preparing a meal of all things. What's with the sudden change of heart? Did you suddenly start liking to cook when you died?"

"I still hate cooking with a passion," she retorted, slamming the knife into the cutting board with more force than she had been using. "I'm doing this as a favor, or rather, as payment for not hoarding this pair of my glasses." Haru touched the thin rims, memorizing their rounded shape so she could hold onto it if he ever did succeed in his endeavors. Sighing, she refocused her efforts and continued chopping with rapid motions of the knife. "Still, it's annoying I have to do this sort of thing."

"You could've just said no."

"It is impossible for me to say no to that man."

"Souka… this is for Byakuya, neh?"

"I really had no choice. I need these glasses, not to see, but because I like to make my eyes a little less noticeable." She was trying to avoid the inevitable interrogation, not to mention an immeasurable amount of teasing, but Yoruichi was smarter than that. She paced towards the window and sat down beneath it, leaning her cheek against one hand and watching the girl move with one eye. Every now and then, Haru would glance her way, then continue moving the knife up and down.

"He likes his food spicy, you know."

"Hai," she answered. "I do know."

"Really? Then what else do you know about him?"

"Well…" Haru pondered for a moment. "His favorite tea is ginger, he likes the moon a lot, he has a strange fascination with Chinese bellflowers, he frequently sleeps on his left side, he is an amazing fighter, he claims to be horrible at writing haiku, and, as I've learned today, he knows next to nothing about typical human culture. Actually…" Her voice trailed off, and she allowed herself to smile as she continued. "It's amusing, his naivety. I think it's because I feel relieved in some ways because he has so much more experience than I do…"

"Ah, so Kisuke wasn't lying when he said you two were sleeping together!"

"Onegai, Yoruichi-sama… it isn't like that…"

"So, how is he in bed, hmm?"

"I already told you, he sleeps on his left side. That's really all I know, and besides, Byakuya-sama is a man of propriety. He wouldn't do anything to jeopardize his status." Haru's cutting speed increased as she tried to ignore the fury coursing through her veins. Yoruichi was someone she respected, yet at the same time, she found the ex-captain's antics somewhat vexing. _I wonder if she knows he has already done much to jeopardize that._

"What're you planning?"

"Hmm?" she inquired.

"You wouldn't be going through all this trouble unless you planned on being gone for a while." Haru paused with the knife elevated over the cutting board, her hands stilled entirely as her eyes grew dark.

"My family is troublesome. It will take some time to work things out with them, so I don't plan on going back to Soul Society for a while. Besides, I told Byakuya-sama I would do this for him since he returned my glasses with very little argument."

"You actually let him handle those things?" Yoruichi flashed over and reached for them, but Haru leapt back and swung the knife upwards without thinking. The playful ex-captain flashed away, crossing her arms with a laugh. "You honestly think you can cut me with that little thing, and in a gigai no less?"

"Urusai! You know I hate people messing with them! You're like a kid reaching for the stovetop when the burner is on!"

"Yare, yare… Kisuke was right. Cooking really does put you in a bad mood. So, why're you doing it, then?"

"I already told you," she answered, suppressing her anger to a manageable level, "I told Byakuya-sama I would."

"Yeah, but why? You two got something going on other than…"

"Yes, Yoruichi-sama," Haru responded, trying to hide the fact that she was exasperated. "Yes, we do, and if you have a problem with it, then…" The knife flew downwards as Haru whirled around. The two free locks of her hair swayed as she faced Yoruichi, whose amusement had suddenly drifted away entirely. "That's just too damn bad!" The very effort of uttering those five words stripped Haru of her energy. One hand found the counter as her head was pulled into a bow, and she gasped for breath like a fish cast out of water.

"Hey, hey, take it easy, Haru. It's not like I care. I won't try to stop you."

"Good, because if you did, I'd have to crack your skull open. Even if I used up every ounce of energy I had, even if I had to chase you until my legs would no longer run or walk, I wouldn't rest until I had done it. If anyone tries to stop me…" Suddenly, Yoruichi got the idea that they weren't talking about Byakuya anymore. She walked forward and turned Haru so her back was to the counter and her face was visible, then placed both hands on the girl's shoulders. "M… moushiwake arimasen, Yoruichi-sama. I… said too much."

"It's understandable if you feel that strongly about him, but… I can't see why you're so upset." The glint on her glasses still hid her eyes, but Yoruichi could see tears rolling down her cheeks. "You're still breathing hard. What's wrong?" Haru shook her head slowly. "Come on… you can't tell me it's nothing."

"Just… a bad memory," she responded.

"Yeah, you've got a lot of those." Yoruichi seemed satisfied with the answer and released Haru, crossing the room to retrieve a dry cloth.

"Okaasan… always used to cook for me like this. She would always ask me to help her, even though I mostly got in the way at that age." Yoruichi lifted Haru's chin, trying to ignore the pain in those violet eyes as she set to work drying her cheeks. "Half the time, we did more laughing than cooking. If the product of our endeavors wasn't edible, we would always go and buy bento from the carry-out store down the street, joking about how the remnants would crawl out of the trash can and try to eat us while we slept."

"Sounds like good memories to me," Yoruichi stated. "Still, if they remind you of your mother, then I think I understand why cooking puts you in such a gloomy mood."

"Iie," Haru answered, turning away slightly. "Just now, I was reminded of… someone else." She stared at the floor as Yoruichi lifted the glasses, submissive yet suspicious. Yoruichi lifted her chin once more and dried her eyes, first one, then the other, and then, she drew away.

"If you don't want to tell me who, then…"

"You already know who." She stopped walking for a moment, letting the cloth slide out of her hand and strike the floor. "Truth be told, I'm more like him than I want to admit. I can be a ruthless opponent in battle. I can forget my concern for others in moments of desperation. I'm even deceptive on occasion. Just now, though, I never thought I'd hear myself say those words or anything like them."

"This is different than him."

"How?" she retorted.

"Because you said them to defend a power that far surpasses anything political or hierarchical: your free will." Haru's eyes grew serious, far more serious than Yoruichi had ever seen them, and without the glasses to hinder them, they appeared almost venomous. Suddenly, Haru turned back to her work without changing her expression. She pulled her glasses down, then began moving the knife again. The whole thing gave her a strong gut feeling that Haru wasn't talking about Byakuya. She took a mental note to tell Urahara later and shrugged, coolly stating, "Even if you've still got that, you let Byakuya trap you."

"He didn't trap me!"

"Neh, what're you blushing for, Haru? It's kind of cute."

"Urusai!" Haru shouted.

"And the worst part is, you like being trapped by him, don't you? If anything, you want to get even more trapped by him… that's why you're doing this." A slightly doleful look surfaced as she turned away. She didn't want to show Yoruichi her smile. Now that the atmosphere as settled, she took up her post beneath the window and peered at Haru with one yellow eye. "Sometimes, I gotta wonder what you see in him. Then again, you two are pretty close… you've probably seen sides of him his own parents never witnessed."

"That is true," Haru answered with a smile. "To be honest, when I first met him, I thought he was a little cold. He never smiled, and he always looked so serious. He was much like me in that respect, but I think we've somehow opened each other up in certain ways and by small degrees. He doesn't have to smile to show happiness." Haru paused and peered at Yoruichi, who grinned and shook her head slowly.

"You're hopelessly trapped now. No doubt about it. Then again, I suppose it's not a bad thing if you're happy, too."

"Hai," she answered. The shunpo master stood to leave, but she stopped when she felt Haru's eyes on her. "Ano… Yoruichi-sama, do you… think you could stay here for a little while longer?"

"Nande?"

"I don't think it's good for me to be alone right now." She glanced to Haru, but the girl wasn't telling her anything. She hung her head as she continued her preparations for the evening. Then, without a word, she settled in her original location, stretched out on one side and leaning one side of her face against her hand. One yellow eye opened to study Haru, then shut again. As her mind wandered off in its own direction, Yoruichi reflected on the peculiar nature of the situation, the certainty with which Haru had made her request, and more importantly, the lingering trace of uneasiness exuded by her intuition.

A table laden with food was a welcome sight to those whose appetites had been repeatedly teased by the savory scent wafting through Urahara's shop. "Holy hell…" Renji stammered. "That's… the biggest pot of sukiyaki I've ever seen!" How such a copious amount of food came about was beyond all of them save Yoruichi, who had witnessed nearly its entire making, and Byakuya, for he had been careful about making his deal with Haru in private. The steam curled around the air. He silently admitted that if it tasted nearly as good as it smelled, then it would likely be close to the best meal he had ever eaten. Everyone else was thinking nearly the same thing. Mouths watered in anticipation, yet the absence of one prevented them from actually enjoying it. "Where the hell's Haru? I'm starving."

"She's probably even hungrier, then," Takumi stated. "Taichou hasn't been eating much lately."

"Kuchiki-taichou, do you think she's ill?" Hinamori asked. He answered with a silent shake of his head. If she had been ill, then she wouldn't have gone through all the trouble, not to mention risk contaminating everyone with the hypothetical infection. Takumi turned towards the door as it slid open.

"Sumimasen. I was just taking care of something."

"Yeah, sure, whatever. Sit down so we can eat before I waste away."

"Isn't that being a little dramatic?" Rukia retorted. Haru shook her head and seated herself, glancing from her piping hot cup of tea to the bowl that begged to be filled with stew. Her insides felt warm as she then looked to Byakuya, whose eyes already betrayed his expectations and caused her to blush slightly.

"Well, shouldn't we dig in?" Haru inquired. Everyone agreed with a loud, unified "itadakimasu" that seemed to rattle the entire house. She ate at a faster pace than she usually did but with enough decorum so as to not upset the others.

"It's good," Orihime exclaimed as she chewed.

"Just the kind of thing we need on a cold, rainy day," Urahara commented. "Though… it's a little unusual that it wasn't cooked at the table."

"Don't complain if it tastes good," Ichigo murmured through a mouthful of noodles. "Honestly, be grateful Tessai goes through all the trouble of cooking for you."

"But I didn't cook today," Tessai responded.

"Eh? Then who…" They debated amongst themselves while Byakuya and Haru remained silent, lifting their chopsticks in near perfect unison and chewing with a great deal of contemplation. Their eyes fell shut at the same instant, and they both released a sigh, one worried, the other indistinguishable in nature. Takumi shifted his eye to them, smiling.

"Takumi, why are you smiling?" Hinamori inquired.

"Because I'm happy. Why else would I smile?"

"Takumi has a point," Haru stated. "It's nice to sit around a table with the people who are important to you." She peered to Ishida, who detected the reality of the matter and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Suddenly, he understood the real reason Takumi was happy, and he endeavored to hide his own amusement before anyone noticed it.

"Ishida-kun? Nandesuka?"

"Betsuni," he answered, pausing to take a swill of his tea. Truth be told, Ishida was relieved that Haru had done it, even if it seemed that she had lowered herself a little. The atmosphere allowed him to put his mind at ease for the first time in days.

"This is nice," Haru said quietly, tilting her bowl back to sip her broth and then moving in for seconds.

"It is a bit chaotic if you ask me," Byakuya responded.

"There is an old quincy adage: sukiyaki is a pot of camaraderie."

"That makes no sense."

"Perhaps it doesn't to you, but look around." Byakuya did as he was asked. He watched people chatting happily or arguing over this mushroom or that piece of beef. "Have you noticed anything yet?"

"Iie."

"Look harder," she murmured, filling her mouth so she wouldn't have to answer again. By the time she took three bites, Byakuya was still scrutinizing the room with an intense look on his face. Haru gave a slight laugh and shook her head. "Now it seems you're looking too hard."

"It is either one extreme or the other."

"The people in this room are like sukiyaki. They're all radically different from one another. Individually, their flavors would only be mildly interesting, but throw them all together in one pot, and you get something truly memorable… not to say that the analogy is perfect. Most of the people in this room are more than mildly interesting on their own. Still, that just makes it all the more fascinating to throw them all in one pot over high heat just to see how they mix." As she said this, she eyed Takumi and Hinamori, who were currently immersed in conversation with Urahara and Yoruichi. _Those two… I hope to see them make something of themselves one day, especially you, Momo-san._

Haru diverted her focus to eating again, and all was calm and peaceful around the table until its occupants had a collective realization that they were down to the last piece of beef. Renji and Ichigo immediately started arguing over it, while Rukia declared her femininity trumped their brutish masculine ways. "Perhaps I had the maxim wrong," Haru commented as the argument grew to a roaring clamor, her face placid and faintly amused. "Maybe sukiyaki is really a pot of conflict."

"Matte, matte," Urahara said over them, waving his hands slowly. They finally fell silent, Ichigo and Renji gripping each other's collars with a rather displeased Ishida sitting squarely between them and dragged into the fight. "It's good manners to let the chef take the last piece." Haru immediately threw her eyes to her lap, not wanting to hear anything else about how it tasted good even though the ginger was an unusual yet flavorful addition, or how the noodles were cooked to perfection, or how the tofu was savory yet smooth. The praise was so unsettling that she suddenly loathed the fact that she had given into Byakuya again. She was so engrossed in cursing her own weakness behind a placid mask that she didn't notice the noble's hand calmly reach across the table. Once he had secured the coveted morsel and shaken it free of extra broth, he cupped his hand beneath it and turned to Haru, who detected a change in the light and peered at him.

"Douzo." She stared at him blankly for a moment, then looked away with a smile.

"You eat it. Besides, I made it for you."

"I insist that you have it."

"You took it, so you must have wanted it."

"Only so I could give it to you."

"You're stubborn," Haru retorted, turning towards him to give him a more firm rebuke regarding his propriety, but the askance in his eyes paralyzed her. The remainder of her rebellion struck the air as nothing more than a sigh. "Why can't I say no to you, no matter how outrageous you are?"

"I could answer that question, but it would probably make you blush."

"Probably…" Haru closed her chopsticks around the end of the meat, and Byakuya released it, watching her expression as she solemnly savored the flavor and texture. Once she swallowed, she stretched her arms over her head and sighed contentedly as she recalled the pleasure of a full stomach, but it was spoiled by the sudden onslaught of ten pairs of eyes. "There is another ancient piece of advice from quincy lore that I find rather fitting for that situation: those that watch the sun will not have eyes to see." She flashed a leer at those who hadn't already averted their eyes and folded her arms with a huff. "That's right… I almost forgot dessert."

"There's more?" Ichigo stammered.

"Well, you can't very well eat a good meal without expecting a good dessert. Tessai-san, would you assist me in clearing the table?"

"I'll help, too," Takumi offered. At first, Haru thought the offer would hinder her more than help, but she soon found her vice captain was suited to such things. Between the three of them, they managed to clear and clean the table before anyone grew anxious. "You give yourself far too little credit, taichou," he stated as they made the brief trek to the kitchen.

"Why is that?"

"Not only do you have an awesome fighting style, but you're really good at cooking. Is there anything you can't do?"

"Well, for one thing, I can't drive a car."

"Car? You mean those big motory things we kept seeing?"

"Hai," she answered. "I wasn't old enough to learn yet. Aside from that, I'm also terrible at sewing, believe it or not. If it involves needles, I will more than likely wind up hemorrhaging all over whatever it is I'm attempting to sew, even if it's just a repair job. In fact, I haven't even tried since I was eight. I pricked myself so many times that Ishi-nii said it was best to let him take care of things like that from now on."

"Still, you're pretty cool, taichou." Takumi grinned as they placed the dishes in the sink. "Don't worry about washing them."

"Demo…"

"Really, taichou, you just spent all day making a meal for the man you love, and you're planning to tell him that he'll have to go on without you the rest of the evening because you have to wash dishes. Don't bother; I said I'd take care of it, and I will."

"I agree with Fujiwara-san," Tessai added. "You won't see Byakuya-san for a long time from the sounds of things, so please don't waste the opportunity."

"Hai, hai. Listen… head back to the dining room. I'll be along in a moment."

"Right. We'll distribute plates and forks."

"Arigato." Takumi glanced back at her as he balanced the stack of plates in his hands, noting the doleful expression that suddenly overcame her face. He decided in that moment that something was up, but the nature of that something escaped him. The pleasant atmosphere made him forget his anxieties for the time being, but Haru's lingered unseen in the air. _This is… _She paused, letting her eyes fall shut as she leaned against the counter. _This is too wonderful. This feeling of friendship… it's so intense, I can almost grab a handful of it out of the air. Takumi is very kind and very helpful. It will be good for Hinamori to remain on speaking terms with him. Ichigo and Renji fight like a couple of kid brothers, which is funny in a way since they look virtually nothing alike. Sensei and Yoruichi-sama have a history of being troublesome, yet even they make me smile frequently. Kuso… why is it now at the end of things that I begin to appreciate the unseen sides of them? _A bitter smile spread over Haru's face as she stood erect and clasped both hands sharply to her cheeks. _I only need to keep it together for a little while longer. Still, it is so difficult…_

Haru immediately shoved her doubts into the back of her mind and lifted a white box off the counter. She proceeded to the dining room, where she was welcomed by the same silence she left the room in. "Nandesuka? You all look like you're at a funeral."

"As a wise bard once said, parting is such sweet sorrow," Byakuya noted.

"Please… I haven't even gone yet, and you're sulking about me leaving you alone." She set the box down and poked the middle of his forehead with her index finger. "If you keep frowning like that, then you're going to have wrinkles before nii-san does."

"For once, I think Byakuya-san has a point… and what was that about my forehead wrinkling?"

"Betsuni," she replied, hastily waving her hand as if to clear the comment away. She then fell to opening the box. Everyone leaned forward to watch and wait for the revelation, and as it came, the same stifling praise rose around her.

"I can't imagine where you'd buy a cake that looks so good," Ichigo commented.

"I didn't buy it," Haru responded, folding the sides of the box down. "I made it."

"Seriously?" Orihime inquired.

"H… hai, though I'd say it's a bit unusual for a cake, so I'm warning you in advance."

"Unusual?"

"Hai," she stated, lifting the knife and lowering it. "The cake is two layers of dark chocolate with a thin layer of cherry filling. Since Byakuya-sama is so fond of spicy foods, I put a few drops of chili oil in the filling. The frosting is also chocolate, but to add interest, I used white chocolate for the rosettes, which I topped with fresh cherries. If I did this right, then the sweetness of the cake should both accent and balance the spiciness of the chili oil." By then, she had finished cutting the first slice. After standing it on a plate with expert precision, she handed it to the noble beside her, who waited with surprising patience while Haru finished distributing the cake.

The first bite brought a pleasant sweetness followed by a subtle heat, noticeable but not unpleasant. _My gods, I've done it, _she thought, peering to Byakuya for a moment, but his face was much as it had been throughout dinner, a picture of intense thought.

"Well, you've certainly outdone yourself, Haru-sama," Ishida stated.

"Eh?" she inquired, having been dazed for a moment. "It isn't too spicy?"

"Iie… it's really good," Hinamori put in. "Will you teach me how to bake when we get back to Soul Society?"

"There's no need to exaggerate," she stammered. "It isn't that good…"

"Are you crazy?" Ichigo demanded. "If I say it's good, it's good, and I definitely say it's good." A fervent agreement circled the table, and she bowed her head as her cheeks flushed, replying with a faint and humble thanks. Only Byakuya remained silent and contemplative. For some reason, it was easier for Haru to hide her disappointment than her anxiety. She enjoyed the delicacy to its fullest, having nearly forgotten what sweet food tasted like, and set her plate down once she was finished.

"Goshisousama," she stated, clapping her hands together, dropping her head with a sigh.

"Gods, I'm so full…" Renji groaned.

"Don't eat so much next time, then," Rukia murmured, though it was clear from her tone that she, too, bordered a satiated level. "Still, it's hard to stop when the food tastes good." Haru sighed and leaned back, staring blankly beyond the ceiling to the trek she had ahead of her. There was, after all, still so much to do before she left, so much she hadn't shared with Byakuya, so many papers to be filed at his office… "Haru-san?"

"Hai!" she cried, awaiting an answer but receiving none but silence.

"You're a little spacey this evening, taichou. Maybe you should turn in early."

"It is getting late," Ichigo noted, climbing to his feet. The consensus was generally the same. "Well, we're off. Thanks for the meal, Haru." She nodded her head slowly, apparently in another thoughtful daze. "Take care of yourself, and give me a call if you need anything."

"Hai," she answered. The look in her eyes as he passed clearly asked him to be careful, and he nodded before passing out of the room. Gradually, the others filed out, each giving their thanks and their farewell to Haru. She rose to walk Ishida out, passing the residents a look that clearly indicated she wanted to be left alone for the time being. The door slid shut behind them, sealing them in darkness. Haru followed on his heels as he paced towards the door. He seated himself on the entryway steps to pull his shoes on, then rose again.

"You really are good at cooking. Don't let Byakuya-san's silence discourage you."

"It isn't that," she said quietly. "I just… never thought the day would come when I had to leave Soul Society." Ishida didn't respond. He merely pushed the door open to let in the light of the setting sun and turned back towards her. "These past four months have been unreal. I'm still alive, but not physically, not in this realm. Tokazawa Miharu has died in more ways than one. I've become someone else, someone who is deeply involved with a man, probably more deeply than I should be since I'm still only fifteen…"

"Does that really matter?"

"Hmm?"

"You love him, and if I'm not wrong, then he loves you, too. That's what truly matters in the end, isn't it?" She peered at the ground, not wanting to show him the genuine tears in her grateful eyes. "The meal was wonderful. I'm sure he thought so. If he didn't, then he's out of his royal mind. Well…" Ishida stretched slightly, then turned away. "I'll see you in the morning." As he reached the door, he heard Haru's feet strike the floor. Wondering if she had collapsed from exhaustion, he turned around only to nearly be tackled to the ground and strangled by the force of her embrace. "This is unusual for you. Is everything alright?"

"Arigato…" Her voice quivered in the same way her arms did. "I could never possibly thank you for putting up with the Yamashita clan, and for sticking by me when no one else would. You really are… the best brother I could ask for. I wish I had something else for you, but all I have is this one word. Arigato. Arigato, Ishida Uryuu… for all you have done. Hontou ni… arigato…" For some reason Ishida's mind didn't understand, his body acted. He wound his arms gently around his shoulders, closing her in a brotherly embrace and staring back into the darkness, wondering what could have brought that on all of a sudden. Even more troubling was the fact that she had called him by his full name, which she only did while irritated or emotionally falling apart. She sniffled against his shoulder for a moment, then pulled back as if realizing what she was doing. "Gomenasai," she murmured, lifting her glasses and wiping her eyes. "I promised I wouldn't cry again today."

"Daijoubu," Ishida answered gently. "I know it's difficult… remembering your mother." He rested a hand on her shoulder. "Go take a hot bath and get some rest. It should help your emotions. Tomorrow, I want to see you smiling, alright?"

"I'll try," she murmured softly, wiping her eyes again. He nodded and departed, leaving Haru alone in the dark hallway for a moment, alone with her sorrow and anxiety. Ishida felt her drift in the general direction of the bathroom, knowing that she was still emotionally distraught. Guiltily, he took three steps forward and paused. Wasn't there anything he could do for her? After all, Haru had let him be her brother and had loved him as any sister would. She dealt with his protectiveness, always smiling or chiding him gently when he threatened Byakuya…

The answer came to him. Hastily, he turned back towards the shop and re-entered. He could delay his departure for just a bit longer.

Byakuya expected to find Haru asleep when he returned to their temporary quarters, and to be quite honest, he was feeling rather exhausted himself. Subsequent to Haru's departure from the dining room, Hinamori had declared she was sleeping with Takumi, the wording of which made both Renji and Yoruichi burst out laughing and Takumi turn beat red. "Sumimasen… perhaps I should rephrase. You see, Takumi and I talked it out earlier today, and we decided that it would be best to let taichou spend her last night here with Kuchiki-taichou. After all, we'll be with her the whole time she's gone, and she seems to need some space. Isn't that right, Takumi?"

"H… hai," he offered weakly. "For taichou's sake, I'll put up with your company for one night. We will of course sleep on separate futons." He glared at Yoruichi, who was still snickering behind her hand, and sighed heavily. "She seems like she's in pretty low spirits."

"I thought she seemed happy at dinner," Hinamori responded.

"Iie… she was troubled," Byakuya stated. "When you spend enough time around Haru, you learn to read the subtle nuances of emotion beneath the expression she demonstrates. She was certainly not herself." At that moment, the dining room door opened, revealing Ishida in the doorway.

"Back so soon?" Urahara inquired.

"Byakuya-san," he said without paying the shopkeeper any never mind. "I need a word, if you will." In retrospect, Byakuya had no idea what compelled him to actually rise from the table and fulfill the quincy's request, but now that he had, there was no turning back. His hand was on the door, and he had already started pulling it open. "You know I still have trouble believing she sees anything in you," Ishida had said.

"If you came back to insult me, then I insist you leave."

"Hear me out, and put her before your pride for just this once. You made her do something that brought up some pretty deep and painful memories for her. The least you could do was give her a little credit."

"I am not sure what you mean."

"I'm asking you to stay with her," Ishida stated. "She's pretty delicate. She doesn't let others see that side of her much. I'm sure you have, if only every once and a while. When that happens, all you need to do is stay by her side. If you do that, then I may consider relinquishing my death threats." Byakuya studied the quincy for a moment, reading the blatant emotions in his face, and sighing heavily.

"You are concerned about Haru-kun, but not because of me, not because of what I asked her to do." Ishida threw his eyes aside. "Is something wrong?"

"Iie… I just… want you to take care of her is all."

"She is your sister. Why are you giving me the responsibility of—"

"Because you're the one she needs right now." Those words followed Byakuya around all evening, long after Ishida had left, long after he climbed into the bath, long after he had practically scrubbed his skin raw trying to get rid of them. Being desired was all good and well in a relationship. After all, without desire, they wouldn't have made it that far. However, to be required gave him an uneasy feeling of permanence. He knew that any sense of permanence was an illusion; things always changed by nature. He had felt permanence with Hisana, and when he reflected on how ephemeral permanence truly was, he had sworn never to get that deeply entrenched with anything or anyone ever again. His feelings for Haru had changed over time, and with each passing day, his knowledge of her grew. Byakuya would see a new side or notice a subtle movement or, on rare occasion, receive the information straight from her lips.

All these thoughts scattered as a solemn, lonely note struck the air. Byakuya nearly pulled back, but he was enchanted by this opportunity to change his perceptions once again. He stepped into the room and walked forward, noting that the sound continued despite the fact that Haru seemed to perceive him. Only when he sat beside her did she pause and glance at him, one hand still holding a bow of a different sort, still poised against the string. "What are you doing?"

"What am I doing?" Haru echoed. "Something I haven't done for a very long time." She closed her eyes and moved her hand back and forth. Byakuya watched her fingers dance lithely across the strings as she changed from one note to the other. "I am serenading the moon."

"I have a feeling the answer has something to do with your peculiar heritage, or perhaps something from quincy lore."

"Iie, it has nothing to do with that and everything to do with otousan." Haru motioned towards her lap, and Byakuya immediately planted his head in it, rolling over on his back so he could gaze up at her silvery silhouette and the intense look in her eyes, which disappeared as they sank closed. "He told me once, a long time ago, that whenever he was about to do something difficult, he would take out his violin and play a song to the moon in the hopes that she would aid him climb the mountain. If he got anxious or worked up, he just reminded himself that the moon was with him, that he had placated it with a song, and that he had no reason to fear because he wasn't alone. It is the same with me." With slow stokes, Haru ran the bow across the strings, sending a mournful melody into the empty night air.

"That song is too pretty to waste on the moon."

"Nande?"

"It can never vocalize its appreciation." Haru paused and glanced down at him with a seriousness he seldom saw from her anymore. Byakuya sat up and leaned back, supporting himself on one arm and peering intently back at her. "How long has it been since you played?"

"Four months, I'd say. I stopped playing just before I came to Soul Society."

"You play beautifully." Haru let her eyes fall to the instrument. Even in the dim lighting, Byakuya knew she was blushing, and the very thought made him smile. "Haru-kun, the only reason I did not express my appreciation earlier was because I saw how uncomfortable being the center of attention was making you. I enjoyed your cooking. It is undeniably some of the best I have ever had, yet I doubt I will ever taste it again since you are becoming a captain and considering becoming the nineteenth head of your family. If you had told me it would cause you pain, though, I would never have asked you to do it."

"Byakuya-sama, I…" Haru stopped herself, seeing that he had more to say. She probably wouldn't get to continue her playing, so she laid her father's violin in its case and tucked it and the bow safely away. After all, his words likely didn't need an audience. Once she was satisfied, she turned her eyes back to Byakuya and gave him her full attention.

"Sukidayo," he murmured. "My feelings for you haven't changed, but I haven't seen every side of you yet. There is still so much I do not know, and so much you do not know about me. Still, I want to know more. I want to grow more acquainted with your talents, but never at your expense. So, if any request I ever make of you bothers you, then please tell me so rather than enduring the pain."

"Honestly, I don't mind it." The exasperated note in Haru's voice took him aback. "I enjoy doing these things for you. Then, paying off my debt to you does not seem so impossible."

"What debt?"

"For letting me freeload off of you for four straight months, for one thing…"

"I wanted you there. If I had not, then I would never have let you stay for as long as you have." Byakuya felt a reassuring hand rest on his in the dark, and for a moment, they simply enjoyed each other's presence. Haru's fingers gingerly laced through his own as they both raised their eyes to the moonlight peering through the window. "Haru-kun, sitting here with you like this… is more than enough to pay your debt."

"It seems like such a small price in comparison…"

"There is a large difference between cost and value. Sitting with me costs you very little, perhaps some of your time, but you are always more than willing to give me that. These moments with you, though, possess more value than the cost of everything I own."

"Byakuya-sama…" she stammered. "I… ano… that is to say… I… I'm not sure how to respond to that, but…" Haru gazed towards him and beamed. "It makes me very happy." They were comfortable with silence for a long moment. It passed around them and through them, quieting their disquiets, mollifying their fears, relaxing their anxieties, and putting them both in a calm state of mind. Byakuya glanced over at Haru again, whose eyes were still fixed on the moon that shone through the window.

"Haru-kun."

"Hmm?"

"Lean forward."

"Eh? Nande?"

"Just do it. I have something to ask you." Haru did as she was asked and leaned against his shoulder. She felt his hands hard at work on something or other beneath her hair, something that made his heart beat more rapidly than it normally did. "I'm finally ready to ask my third question. I have given it much thought, and since I delayed my asking it, I think it is only fair that you have the right to delay your answer for however long it takes you to conceive one." Suddenly, his hands stopped, and as he drew away, she felt something metal strike her skin. Bewildered, Haru glanced down and saw the familiar gleam of metal. A single silvery band hung from a thin chain that he had fastened. Curious, she touched the object and peered up to him, asking with her eyes what the occasion was and what it meant. "Marry me."

"Nani?" she stammered.

"Marry me, Yamashita Haru." Haru's mind went numb as he repeated the question. For some reason, her trembling hand wouldn't leave the object he had placed about her neck.

"But… we've only known each other for four months, maybe a little longer. How can you feel safe asking me something that serious?"

"Always the pragmatic one." Byakuya placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and drew away. "Do you have any idea what arranged marriages are like, Haru-kun? Oftentimes, they are established when both the bride and groom to be are children, and in most cases, they don't meet each other until the wedding-day. Yet I have gotten a chance to know you, and I know myself well enough to know this is what I desire one day. I have probably startled you a great deal. All I ask is that you think about it, and give me an answer when you are ready. Will you do that for me?" As Byakuya spoke, he never took his eyes off of hers. He saw the changes in them, saw that she neither loathed nor despised the idea, and consoled himself with the comment she made.

"I will consider it," she murmured, leaning against his shoulder, sighing contentedly as his arms ensnared her. Haru shifted her position a bit so that her mouth was next to his ear. "Now, no more serious talk. I want to enjoy your company to its fullest for as long as I have it." Byakuya shuddered involuntarily as she shifted again and pressed her lips to the side of his neck, then rose again, tracing some sort of labyrinth across his skin with her index finger. The pleasure in his eyes was undeniable and caused her to smile. "I never took the time to notice how smooth your skin is or how brilliant your eyes are, Byakuya-sama. Before today, I never even gave it a thought."

"Nande?" Haru smiled faintly and withdrew her hand, pressing it against the left side of his chest a moment later.

"The Byakuya-sama I love isn't an appearance. He is a person, and that person resides here." Her hand was soon layered between the fabric of his yukata and his own hand, which pressed gently against her own and trapped it there. The subtle rhythm of his heart calmed the maelstrom whirling inside her. "My feelings for you are because of who you are, not because of what you look like."

"I thought you said no more serious talk."

"You're right," she replied, smoothing a stray lock of hair from his eyes. Her hand lingered against his face for a moment, then slowly withdrew as she bowed her head. "Ano… Byakuya-sama, I… I want you to promise me something."

"Nandesuka?"

"Well…" Haru paused, throwing her eyes aside for a moment, then determinedly staring into his face. "Byakuya-sama, promise you won't forget me."

"Why would I forget you?" he said, disclosing a note of exasperation in his voice. "I just asked you to marry me."

"Please don't be upset. That wasn't my intention. What I meant was… that you shouldn't forget how I feel." Byakuya was still puzzled and somewhat irate, especially since this was the third time Haru had reinitiated a serious conversation. She lifted a hand and stroked the side of his face, imploring him with her gaze to hear her out. "The person I am will change, and the person you are will change. Everything around us will change, and everything within us. Only the past is immutable, but I want you to remember this one thing: no matter how I change or how everything around me changes, I feel relatively confident in saying that my feelings for you can only grow stronger. They will not recede like an ocean tide or fizzle out like the dying flame on the end of a candlewick. If you forget everything else about me, then at least remember that."

"Haru-kun…" The name slipped past his lips after a moment of silence. His sapphire eyes disappeared as he raised a hand and clasped the one resting against the side of his face. "When you speak so seriously, I worry…"

"Please don't," she requested gently. "That wasn't my intention. All I want is that promise." Byakuya gazed at her for a moment, found her eyes unclouded by the mysterious source of her frustrations, and squeezed her hand.

"You have my word that I will not forget." For some reason, that made her even more happy, if that was possible. Byakuya found himself nearly thrown to the ground as she launched herself at him and ensnared his neck in her arms, smiling against his shoulder as he tried to get over his own sudden awkwardness.

"Arigato-gozaimasu, Byakuya-sama."

"You have no reason to be so formal with me, Haru-kun."

"Eh?" she inquired, drawing back with an impish smile on her face. "Well, that's something I never thought I'd here you say. I'm a little surprised, actually. Still, whether or not the formalities are unnecessary, I truly am thankful for everything." She peered to her knees for a moment, then allowed her eyes to wander to the violin. "Ano… Byakuya-sama…"

"Hmm?"

"Can I… ask you one more favor?" Haru watched the light play on his hair in such a way that indicated a slight affirmative movement of his head. "I would like to play for you." This time, Byakuya was the one who was startled. "You have always been like the moon to me. You are hardly very intense except when you are full of emotions, and even then, you're like a light in dark places for me." The finger slowly dragged across his face again, following the curvature of his jaw and settling against his neck. "Let me serenade my moon… so that I can remember you are with me." Amazed at the deliverance of her words, Byakuya could find no voice to object. Without saying anything, he rested his head in her lap and turned onto his back, staring up at her as she exhumed the instrument and set the bow to the string. The melody took flight with the first note and fluttered about his ears as Haru's expression and manner burned its way into his memory. As he shut his eyes to contemplate and to devote his full appreciation to her music, Byakuya noted for the first time how startlingly noble Haru really was. After all, only a true noble could shrug off a wedding proposal by degrees in favor of something less serious.

* * *

Congratulations on making it through! How does your neck feel? It may or may not be more sore after this Japanese lesson, which is probably one of the longest I've written. Here goes…

Gomenasai: Formal apology

Hai: Yes

Iie: No

Nani: What

Arigato-gozaimasu: Formal thanks

Douitashimashite: You're welcome

Chikusho: Japanese swear word. Cue giggles!

Gomen: Normal apology

Baka: Moron, idiot, etc.

Eto: Japanese equivalent of "um" (Pop quiz: what's the other one? XD)

Ano: The correct answer to the above pop quiz. Kudos to those who got it right without looking. =D

Daijobu desu ka: Are you alright?

Souka: I see

Onegai: Please

Urusai: Shut up

Moushiwake arimasen: Super-formal apology

Nande: Why

Sumimasen: Excuse me, also used as an apology

Itadakimasu: Literally "I receive," this phrase is said at the beginning of a meal.

Nandesuka: What is it

Betsuni: Nothing

Matte: Wait

Douzo: Roughly translates to "Here," or "Help yourself."

Kuso: Another Japanese swear word. ^_^

Goshisousama: Shorter version of goshisousama deshita, which is said after a meal and translates to "Thanks for the meal."

Hontou ni: Really

Daijoubu: It's alright

Sukidayo: Expression of affection

Whew… that took a while. One more thanks to my readers, reviewers, and fans, because let's face it… without you, this story would probably be dead. I'll try not to be such a stranger this summer, but with grad school starting in the fall, I can't make promises (as usual… real life gets in the way of writing…). Until next chapter, everyone take care! I'll give you a little time to rest your necks, at least. ^_^'


	19. Chapter 19: Absense

A/N: Hello, readers! Life is crazy. I move in less than a month. Maybe I should be packing instead of working on my fanfic, but I thought you guys would appreciate the chapter since it has been a while.

Be especially appreciative. My desktop computer has officially bit the dust. HOWEVER, I managed to rescue everything via frantic jump drive transfer that lasted well past midnight. That means I won't have to rewrite everything! ^_^

Also, apologies for the massive amount of scene jumps in this chapter. For some reason, my little asterisks aren't working anymore, so I've decided to switch to those annoying horizontal lines that I only think should go after the A/N and before the ending note. Must... resist... all... desire... to... smite...

Shout-out to my reviewers: kudokuchan69, FleurSuoh, NAO-chan33, candyredlove, lara, amazing, Getsurenka, and ladydeath100. Hugs!

And, of course, to all my amazing readers: thank you for continuing to read. I know it takes time, but I do greatly appreciate it.

I'm keeping the A/N short for a change. Here be the chapter!

* * *

_Chapter 19: Absence_

Takumi opened his eye at some ungodly early hour without knowing why to find humming a song of sorts that had drifted down the hallway. He fell silent after he realized what he was doing. When he rolled over, he found Hinamori sleeping soundly. After rising to his knees, he rubbed his eye patch and gave the room a once-over. It was dark; the moonlight had nearly disappeared from it altogether. He thought perhaps it was going to rain again. Then, he remembered where he had heard the song before, earlier in the evening before they could resign themselves to sleep.

"Still awake?" Takumi had asked.

"Hai," Hinamori answered. "And you?"

"Same." They both sighed woefully in unison. "Kuso… why did we agree to do this again?"

"Yamashita-taichou might not see Kuchiki-taichou again for a while. It's only fair that they get to spend their last night together."

"Souka." He turned over and closed his eye again.

"Takumi?"

"Hmm?"

"Isn't that eye patch bugging you?"

"A little, but I'll get used to it," he answered. Hinamori sat up and peered at him.

"You could always… take it off."

"Are you out of your right mind?" Takumi demanded, still facing the wall. Immediately, he regretted his harshness and cleared his throat. "I don't want you seeing me that way."

"But I already know what's under it." He kept his back to her, staring at the wall with one burning azure eye. "Don't you remember? I was the one keeping you alive with medicinal kidou…"

"Let it go, alright? It makes me uncomfortable." The final sentence was mumbled but audible to Hinamori, who sighed and crawled across her futon to his. She sat behind him, staring at his back and wondering what she could say to alleviate the situation. Hinamori reached out to touch his shoulder in a reassuring and entirely platonic way, but for some reason, her hand trembled and fell short of its destination.

That was when she heard it: the faint melody of solitude drifting down the hallway from another room. She couldn't make out the sound entirely, but it was enough to draw Takumi's gaze. His eye was wistful and solitary, his face was a mixture of admiration and sorrow, and his hand quivered slightly as it rose slightly. "Takumi…"

"Sorry," he murmured, realizing that his right eye had filmed over with tears. He rubbed it and blinked, peering over his shoulder at the befuddled Hinamori. "Did you know… that a single violin is the loneliest sound in the world?"

"Is that what it is?"

"Hai." His eye nearly fell shut as his ears drank the sound of a song that wasn't for him. Still, it didn't mean he couldn't appreciate the sound for all it was worth. "I also count it among the most beautiful sounds in the world. Next to wind chimes, there isn't anything I would rather listen to, but they are rare in Soul Society…" Takumi shut his eye and bowed his head, turning away from her again.

"Is it a lullaby?"

"Iie… more like a serenade, I think."

"Do you know much about music?"

"I know much about my captain," he responded, suddenly turning and sprawling out on his futon. He was careful not to disturb Hinamori, who refused to budge despite his sudden lack of interest. After he folded his hands behind his head, Takumi peered at the ceiling with his one eye. When it suddenly shifted to Hinamori, she flinched at the coldness in it. "You're too close."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what I said," he answered, shutting his eye and turning over on his side. "Just go to sleep."

"Takumi…"

"Sleep," he repeated. "We're going to need our strength for the journey tomorrow." Hinamori hesitated and reached out for his shoulder one more time, but again, she was too uncertain to actually touch him. Having no other choice but to comply, she returned to her own futon and pulled up the covers. For some reason, she felt dejected and mildly irritated. By the time she peered at him again, he had already been lulled to sleep by the violin, and she followed quickly behind, or so she thought. Once he was certain she was asleep, Takumi turned over again. _This is too much, _he thought, pulling himself up and crossing the room. He knelt next to Hinamori's futon and rearranged the covers so only her face was showing. Then, he returned to where he was and drifted off…

Until that feeling awakened him. It was the same sickening feeling that had overwhelmed him when he heard the violin. Hinamori was still sleeping soundly, oblivious to whatever was stirring the anxiety within him. Half-asleep, Takumi rubbed his eye and sat up. _Kuso… I really was an asshole. Gomen, Momo-san. _He stretched in such a way that caused his shoulder to crack, and as he rubbed it, he detected something peculiar. _A walk will calm me down, _he told himself. As Takumi climbed to his feet and stepped across the floorboards, he peered back at Hinamori one more time. Then, he stepped through the door, followed closely by that feeling he hoped to leave behind, and closed it.

The halls were dark as expected, but as he rounded a corner, he soon discovered that they weren't empty. He heard a door sliding open and dove back behind the wall, crouching near the floor and peering around it as obscurely as he could. A figure glanced both ways and slid out. Despite his lack of sight at the moment, he immediately recognized who it was, but her motives for being in full uniform at that hour were unclear, as was the reason she was carrying the violin case she had brought with her from Soul Society. She looked both ways again, then turned to begin hastily moving in her direction, but Takumi couldn't just as well let her go. He purposefully made his steps audible, making her pause and turn back one more time before leaving. "Taichou," he said quietly. The familiar grimness washed over her again, the same one that had plagued her all evening without just cause. "Where are you going?" He expected Haru to make some sort of excuse, or an audible response at the very least, but she said nothing. She merely clutched some object that was hanging around her neck and let her head fall into a bow.

For the first time in a long time, Takumi saw the vulnerability, the uncertainty, drift out of her posture. Despite the hallway being entirely dark, he felt all that leave her eyes as they shot upwards again. "Isn't it obvious?" she asked with a hollow smile. Takumi took three steps forward and paused, examining her expression and deriving from those three words precisely what she intended to communicate.

"Are you sure?"

"I've never been surer." He sighed and nodded his head in acquiescence. "You're fine with that?"

"Of course not. It's risky and dangerous. If you so much as even think a disloyal thought, he'll have your head before you can even draw your zanpakutoh… if he lets you keep it. What's more, you're leaving so much behind… I'll have to be drying tears all day tomorrow because I hate seeing women cry."

"But you especially hate seeing Momo-san cry." Takumi clenched his jaw and threw his glare at the floor. At the very least, he wanted to be civil at the end of things. "Admit it."

"It's none of your damn business."

"That is true," she murmured, leaning against the wall and sighing thoughtfully. "You must resent me for this."

"I could never resent you, taichou. Ever since that first day, I've admired you. Sure, I acted like I despised you, but really, I… I just couldn't understand the stock in words before that day. You say them so purposefully sometimes…" His voice trailed off, and he gazed at the ceiling. "Are you really okay with breaking so many hearts?"

"Iie," Haru answered, opening the violin case and extracting something from it. "But that is why I have you here." As she walked forward, Takumi made no move to withdraw, nor did he find any reason to hate her. He simply outstretched his hand to receive the object, an envelope by the feel of things. The hand holding it immediately fell to his side. "Those are my instructions. I need you to follow them to the letter in order for this to work the way I want it to. Once you know them, burn the documents. I can't risk leaving the evidence behind. Can you do that for me, Takumi?"

"You are my captain," he stated, bowing his head, "and I will follow your orders, even in this."

"Arigato, Takumi." She paused as she turned, then glanced back at him. "Before I go, can I ask you one favor?"

"Nani?"

"Watch over everyone here. I know that will be difficult since you only have one eye left, but I feel asking you to do so is not superfluous at all. Iie… it will help me even more at ease in that hell hole." Takumi detected Haru's gaze in the dark. The glasses did nothing to conceal their vivid composure, which lingered until she turned away again. "I trust you'll take care of things here and in Soul Society until I return?"

"That's a little audacious."

"To be honest, I can't stand the thought of not coming back," Haru admitted, "so I'd like to think I have it in me to survive."

"And if you don't?"

"Then at least I can die knowing I only worried you and ojii-sama." She pushed her glasses up and turned again, closing her violin case and lifting it off the floor. "Sayonara, Fujiwara Takumi, and also… arigato." This time, Haru didn't turn back. She didn't wait around to hear a response that never came. She simply walked forward with the rigid shoulders of someone prepared to face the nightmares of open warfare. Takumi watched her go, wondering if or when they would ever meet again. When his eye burned with duty, he bowed his head to the empty hallway and made his way back to his room to wait out the long hours of darkness until the Earth's rotation brought him an empty, lifeless dawn.

* * *

Cold air surrounded Haru on all sides. Her misty breath rose on the air, but she paid no attention to where she walked. She was enveloped in the recent memory. She knew Byakuya would be the hardest one to let go, but she had no qualms about doing it now. Though material things were hardly a substitute for his company, Haru carried the ring with her, the symbol of future union and the promise he had made her. _I feel I can safely move forward… and know that he will not completely hate me if and when I come back. _She recalled bending over him for a moment in darkness and leaning forward, pressing one gentle kiss against his temple while whispering a farewell in his sleeping ear. She positioned a short missive on her pillow, hoping that he wouldn't disrupt it too much, and hoping vainly that it was enough to explain things. _Knowing him, he will jump to assumptions. He will be angry, but he won't hate me. He promised he never would. He said he never would. Now, all I can do is trust him._

Haru's steps had taken her close to the river, which was lit by the setting moon. The sky was still indigo and dotted with stars, but it was just beginning to lighten in the east. The solid, deep blue immersed her even deeper in her thoughts. Her eyes turned south towards the constellation Suzaku. Vainly, she reached a hand towards it. She was still too low to reach it. Sighing, she let her fingers fall and wrap around the hilt of her katana. _Are you still with me, Suzaku?_

_Hai, Haru-sama._

_Will you… stay with me, even there?_

_I could never leave you alone to face something like that. _Haru continued gazing at the stars as she listened to her zanpakutoh's voice. _You know, I have to admit, for a fifteen year old, you possess immense courage, so much so that you unblinkingly throw yourself into the enemy's lair under the guise of deception._

_The guise must be convincing, _Haru answered. _I'm happy Takumi found me. It meant I got to tell him farewell. I wish I could have given Momo-san the same privilege, and Urahara-sensei, and Shinji… there are so many people I wanted to give my farewells to, but I knew I couldn't. The desire to do so is deep, but it would be detrimental to my current mission._

_Indeed. _She felt Suzaku stirring inside her. _Still, there is some foolishness in this._

_I realize that, but the prudence of this action far outweighs the idiocy. Something needs to be done, or else the odds are in Aizen's favor._

_Do you honestly think your presence there will make a difference?_

_I will force a change, _she said. _I will be the catalyst that ignites unrest. I will be the force that tips the scale in Soul Society's favor. Even if I die doing so, then…_

_Then unbeknownst to all, you would be a martyr and a hero. Instead, you will die a ridiculed traitor. No one will mourn you. No one will bury you. Only those who know will shed tears for a body that will never return to Soul Society._

_I understand._

_And you are honestly fine with that?_

_I would rather be ridiculed than revered, Suzaku. Besides, if anyone outside of Soutaichou-sama, ojii-sama, and Takumi knew the truth, I would risk being exposed while still in the hornet's nest, so to speak, and then I truly would be in trouble. _Haru straightened her shoulders and pulled her haori tighter around her. She had made sure to grab the white and pale blue garment before leaving for the human world, and as a brisk gust of air disturbed the loose ends of her hair, Haru silently expressed her gratitude for having brought it with her. The wind changed direction, causing her to shut one eye and shield her forehead with her wrist. Haru knew before it settled that she wasn't alone. She made no move to touch her zanpakutoh, nor did she speak as the shadow strode forward, the moonlight glistening on his bluish hair and catching in his emerald eyes.

"You done thinking, chibi roku?"

"I told you before, I am no longer in the sixth division," Haru answered, adjusting her haori with one hand and facing the sexta espada. "I am a loyal follower of Aizen Sousuke."

"Could have fooled me with the little stunt you pulled yesterday."

"Yeah, about that…" Haru rubbed the back of her head and smiled slightly. "I didn't exactly count on interference. Besides, if you had just been patient like I asked, then I would have come sooner, but no, no… you just had to go on a destructive rampage and get yourself into trouble. How is your arm, by the way?" The leer he threw her communicated on levels that words never could. "Still sore, hmm? Maybe I can do something about it… you know, as a peace offering."

"What exactly could you do?"

"Hmm…" Haru paused and rubbed her chin. "Perhaps we should sort this out once we get to where we're going, Grimmjow-san. Would you be willing to allow me one more moment?"

"Fine," he growled, crossing his arms, "but make it quick."

"Hai," she responded, setting her violin down and gazing across the moonlit river. A gentle wind blew past her, rippling the water's surface and its reflection of the stars therein. She sighed with the wind and folded her hands, pressing them to her chest and shutting her eyes as if to pray, but that was not her intention. Even if she did pray, she wasn't sure if whatever gods were out there would hear her. Haru took a moment to forget all her regrets, to remind herself that she had tied up every loose end. There was nothing left to do but let out a sigh. Her eyes flashed open, shining brilliantly in the dim light as she said her final farewell in silence. _Sayonara… my self. _With renewed resolution, Haru lifted her violin and whirled towards the espada with startling speed. "Let's go."

"Eh? Just like that? No epic battle?"

"Why are you complaining?" Haru retorted. "I'm trying to make this as easy as possible. Now, are you going to open a garganta or not?"

"Hey, don't start giving me orders, chibi roku!"

"I'm not 'chibi roku.' My name is Haru… Yamashita Haru, and you had better start calling me that, or I'll crack your damn skull open."

"I'd like to see you try, chibi roku…" Haru restrained herself for the sake of appearances. She would educate him on the subtleties and nuances of her temperament soon enough. For now, she contented herself with devising ways to go about fulfilling her mission. In the midst of a particularly good plot, Haru felt herself shoved forward from behind with startling force. "Oi, quit spacing out, chibi roku. Unlike me, Aizen-sama isn't a patient man." The very mention of his name sickened her. After glaring back at Grimmjow, she swallowed the last of her doubts and proceeded through the gaping black hole he had pushed her towards. He followed closely behind, watching her like a jailer watches prisoners. Once her captor had followed, Haru glanced back and watched the hole close, sealing them both in a void no amount of willpower could shatter.

* * *

"Ohayo, Hinamori."

"Ohayo, Abarai-san," the girl answered cheerfully as she entered the dining room. Urahara peered up from whatever he had been occupied with and exchanged morning greetings with Hinamori.

"Breakfast should be ready soon. Tessai is almost finished."

"I'm not so sure I'll be eating any," Hinamori confessed. "After last night, I swore I'd ever eat again."

"Baka. You gotta eat, or else you'll get weak."

"I'll eat a little. I'm still pretty full. I slept so well after eating taichou's cooking, though it seems some of us are sleeping better than the rest of us."

"Taichou and Haru were probably up late enjoying each other's company," Renji noted with a snicker. "Anyway, where's Takumi?"

"Still sleeping. I'm amazed I didn't wake him up, though… and I'm even more surprised that he looked so restless this morning. Last night's meal should have at least helped."

"Fujiwara is full of secrets the same way Haru-sama is," Urahara noted without glancing up. "I'm sure he'll be up before the designated time."

"Well, I don't doubt that at all." Hinamori peered over her shoulder as the door slid open, revealing an alert Ishida who looked rather unsettled.

"Ano… Ishida-san, is something the matter?"

"Iie. Just not looking forward to any of this." He sat down and removed his glasses, cleaning them with an anxious hand.

"Actually, I'm looking forward to seeing taichou's house, or what should rightfully be her house, and the train ride, too. I don't think I've ever actually ridden one." Hinamori raised her finger to her chin and glanced towards the ceiling to facilitate and augment her thought processes. "I think this will be a good opportunity for me to understand her better, too. I mean, I know she doesn't much care for her family, and they have quite a varied reputation in Soul Society. It will be interesting to meet them."

"You certainly are optimistic," Ishida retorted, rubbing his temples. "You haven't been the one dealing with them for the past month. Every day, it's a hundred different questions about her whereabouts, about her upholding of family traditions, about whether or not she will even become the head of the clan."

"That sounds pretty rough," Urahara stated from behind his fan, "but that's all about to end, isn't it?"

"Haru-sama can set them straight. Once this thing is over, I'm changing my cell phone number and giving Ryuuken explicit instructions not to give them my contact information."

"That sounds good," Renji answered. "That way, you can take a break. I'm sure you've got things you want to do before the war starts."

"Indeed, and one of those things includes a three-day vacation to a secluded place called heaven only knows where so I can get some rest and restore my peace of mind."

"If you hate it so much, then why do you go through the trouble of dealing with taichou's problems?"

"Because she's my sister," he replied, trying not to sound exasperated. "Besides, I am duty-bound to her. Though our families are relatively close to being equal in status, I have no choice but to bow to her, knowing how much she would suffer if she had been left alone." Ishida pushed his glasses up and peered through them. His eyes were notably doleful that morning and grew more so as thunder rattled the walls of Urahara's shop. "Haru-sama will be happy… that it's going to storm today. When she was alive, she only looked like she was truly alive when there was rain falling. I remember she always used to sit by the window and watch, even when lightning burnt the sky to cinders and thunder shook the very foundations of wherever she was staying at the time."

"At least this way, she can say farewell with a smile," Renji noted. The door slid open again, unveiling an alert and gigai-bound Byakuya, who remained in the entryway for a time as if trying to allow his mind to catch up with the regular time flow. "Ohayogozaimasu, Kuchiki-taichou. Oi… something wrong?"

"Did Haru-kun go anywhere this morning?"

"Nani? She isn't here?" Ishida inquired. Byakuya shook his head slowly and walked forward, taking a seat at the table. His right hand was positioned in such a manner that gave an impression of him holding something, but what that something remained unrevealed.

"Iie. When I woke up, she was gone."

"It's possible that she stepped out early," Urahara stated. "After all, Haru-sama loves the rain."

"She probably didn't want us stopping her," Hinamori murmured. "Kuchiki-taichou would have scolded her, and she probably wouldn't like that much, not just before our departure." Silence fell, and each person in the room unveiled their discontent in a unique yet subtle way. Byakuya shut his eyes and bowed his head, clinging even more tightly to the article in his right hand. Hinamori pretended to be interested in the ceiling, while Ishida pushed his glasses up his nose. Renji stretched and scratch his head even though it didn't itch. Urahara opened his fan and hid behind it, his eyes alight with some indistinguishable and undeniably potent sentiment. Just as suddenly as they had allowed quietude to set in, Hinamori immediately shattered it with an addition to her previous statement. "I have to wonder, though, how long she has been gone or when she'll come back."

"She's not coming back." All eyes turned to the figure in the doorway. Byakuya couldn't stop his hand from flinching, but since everyone was gazing at Takumi, no one noticed. He delivered the words with professional seriousness, yet at the same time, his tone held a subtle nuance of undeniable sorrow.

"Na… nani?" she managed.

"I said she isn't coming back," he repeated, as if saying it again would make the words more concrete.

"I get it," Ishida murmured, bowing his head with a slight smirk. "This is a joke."

"A joke like that would be in pretty bad taste, don't you think?"

"Then it's a lie."

"Iie…" Takumi let his eye drift shut as he leaned against the door. "It isn't…"

"I say it's a lie!" Ishida shouted, slamming his hands against the table. Takumi peered at him with a somber expression. "It has to be a lie. How can something so outrageous be the truth?"

"Because there is only one reality, and she is the cruelest woman I know." Ishida's fingers trembled and closed into fists as Takumi's presentation of reality overwhelmed him. He bowed his head with a strained gasp.

"I find it hard to believe that Haru-kun would leave without saying good-bye."

"But she did say good-bye," Takumi stated, throwing his visible eye on Byakuya's closed fist. His eyes fell immediately as his hand slowly unfolded to reveal one small slip of paper. Takumi recognized it; he had seen the haiku his captain had received from her grandfather before. The other side, originally blank, contained a tidy scrawl of hiragana, legible and nearly straight despite having been written by only the moon's dying light. "A flower cannot blame time for its brevity, nor run from its fate. Sayonara." Byakuya peered at him in disbelief. "That's what it says, doesn't it?"

"Where did she go?" Renji demanded. He had been surprisingly quiet despite his boisterous nature. The anger was already etched clearly in his face. "Where the hell did she go?"

"What do you intend to do?" Takumi asked.

"I'll drag her ass back here kicking and screaming if I have to! I don't care how many times she threatens to crack my skull open!"

"Abarai-san," Urahara stated solemnly, "I'm afraid we have misread Haru-sama."

"What the hell do you mean?"

"I mean that yesterday was nothing but a farewell for her."

"I don't really give a damn. Takumi… you tell me where she is, or so help me, I'll—"

"Yamashita Haru…" He trailed off and peered to the pale Hinamori, detecting the suspense and the dread in her face. "Yamashita Haru defected."

"Impossible," Byakuya interrupted, clenching his fist again. "Haru-kun would never betray Soul Society."

"I agree with Kuchiki-taichou," Hinamori added. "There's no way taichou would… no way she would…" Slowly, the reality of the situation dawned upon each of them. The signs were all there: the emotional instability, the unusual treat last night, the moonlight serenade, but most of all, her determination to give everyone a parting thanks. As the thoughts crossed Hinamori's mind, she stopped breathing for a moment. Then, she rose without a word and walked past Takumi. A moment later, the sound of a door sliding shut cut through the silence. Takumi's eye followed her, then fell shut as the same grimness washed over him. He detected a change in the lighting and peered forward, extending a hand and catching the fist that fully intended to slam against his face.

"You don't throw punches much, do you?" Byakuya's sapphire eyes nearly glowed with rage. "No need to get hostile with me. I'm only the messenger."

"Doushite?" Byakuya managed. "How did you know about all this?"

"I saw her leave."

"And you didn't try to stop her?" he demanded, reaching out for the hem of Takumi's sleeveless hooded shirt. He was restrained by Takumi, who caught the wrist just as it began moving forward. "Nande? She was your captain, wasn't she?" Takumi's eye peered at him, shining with defiance. "Only a demon would have let her go."

"Only a fool would have tried to stop her," Takumi answered. "Haru made up her mind long before today. Nothing I could have done would have deterred her."

"I could have stopped her!" Byakuya threw Takumi against the wall with enough force to make the boy hiss. He took the opportunity to grab hold of his collar and draw back his right hand again. Strangely enough, there was no fear in Takumi's eye as it slowly fell open. All that remained was the same sorrow, the same sense of loss. Byakuya's hand wavered, then shot forward, slamming into the wall with enough force to split at least one of his knuckles.

"She would have killed you," Takumi said in a quiet undertone. "Her exact words were this: 'If anyone comes after me, then it will be the last thing they do.' Hell, she almost killed me, even though she knew I didn't have my zanpakutoh. She would have done it, too, had I not withdrawn when I did. By the time I even thought of stopping her again, she was already gone." Byakuya dropped his eyes, and the same in them was so obvious that Takumi forgot the nobility for a moment. He dropped one amiable hand on Byakuya's shoulder. "Listen, you know I admired her strength and power. You know she was the only one that ever once saw me for something besides what I really am. Knowing what you do, you also have to be aware that, if I could have done anything at all to stop her, I would have done it no matter what the cost." Takumi immediately removed his hand, then gently tugged on Byakuya's wrist. The captain let him go with no further qualms and slowly walked out the door.

"Taichou…"

"I need… some air." Renji had seen Byakuya in some pretty pathetic moments over the years, no matter how few and far between those moments were. To the current date, Renji had always thought the period following Rukia's near execution, when Byakuya was pent up in some bed and wrapped from head to toe in bandages, was the noble's single most vulnerable moment. Now, he saw that he would have to reevaluate his current thought because the tone in which Byakuya spoke surely overwhelmed any physical injury the captain may have had. The way he sounded was utterly defeated, and he spoke as if he had no hope of ever regaining that victory. As much as Renji wanted to do something about it, he knew there was only one cure for Byakuya's current state of mind, and that cure that was also the plague.

"Abarai-san."

"Hmm?" the redhead inquired. Ishida was staring at him with desolate eyes.

"Will you… come with me?"

"Eh?"

"I need to explain the situation… to Kurosaki and the others."

"Why do you need me?"

"Because I don't think I can do it alone." Renji almost blurted out how out of character it was for Ishida to be asking a shinigami for help, but he thought it best to keep quiet for once.

"I can take care of things on this end," Urahara stated. "Bring everyone back here when you're finished. We have much planning to do."

"Planning?" Takumi asked.

"Haru-sama is our enemy now. We need to figure out how to deal with that."

"Right," he answered with a slight nod. "I'm going to go see if I can console Momo. I'm sure she's hurt worse than any of us, this being the second captain that has betrayed her in the past four or five months."

"What about Kuchiki-taichou?" Renji asked.

"As soon as I've alerted Yoruichi-san of the situation, I'll send her out to find him," Urahara stated.

"Sounds good," Takumi answered. "I don't have much of a division right now, so if I could talk him into letting me have my old seat back, that would help matters."

"I'm sure he won't argue," Renji stated. "With something like this, taichou and I will be pretty busy pushing papers for the next couple of weeks." Ishida and Renji walked out the door, each with one glance at Takumi, who bowed his head because he was at a complete loss. Once they were gone, he peered back to Urahara, who appeared to be entrenched in his own thoughts.

"Something wrong?"

"Betsuni," Urahara immediately answered. "Just wondering what to make of this sudden development."

"Take it for what it is and move on," Takumi stated. "In the end, that's all anyone can really do." Urahara listened to the young man's footsteps fade away. Once he was alone, he sighed heavily and removed his hat.

"Yare, yare…" he murmured, tilting his head back and smiling. "You certainly have made a mess of things, Haru-sama. I only hope you're given the chance to clean it up."

* * *

Takumi knocked on the door three times before finally entering. In each instance, he received no response, likely because Hinamori was in the throes of sorrow. His deduction was not far from the truth: the girl was kneeling on her futon, staring blankly at the wall while tears fell down her cheeks in droves. He closed the door behind him and paced forward, waiting for some kind of reaction, but she didn't seem to notice him at all. "Momo," he stated. "Hey, Momo." Slowly, Hinamori's head turned to him. It was the most pitiful look he had ever seen. The eyes cut straight to his core, and the way she tried to restrain her emotions only exacerbated her condition. His breath hitched when he realized he was the cause of this pain.

"It hurts… to be betrayed." The pain drifted out of his expression for a moment. "It hurts so much, I find myself wishing I had never woken up. She was the reason I came out of it. I felt her… I felt something in her calling out to me. Betrayal like this… it hurts even more than an outright attempt on my life. My body wasn't hurt at all, but this…" Hinamori rested a trembling hand over her heart, then immediately bowed her head and sobbed. "Nande, taichou? Why did you leave me here alone? Why did you betray the very same people you swore you'd protect? I don't understand… please tell me. Please give me an answer, taichou…"

Takumi's nature was simple: he could stomach anything except a woman crying. He didn't think as he dropped to his knees beside her, nor did he consider the possible consequences of his actions. He only put one hand against either cheek and tilted her face so he could gaze into her eyes. It then occurred to him that he didn't know what to say or how to say it, so he let instinct take over and prayed he said the right things. "Please don't cry anymore, Momo. I know it hurts. I know because I feel the pain, too, but the fact that you're crying… only makes me hurt more." With a gentleness Hinamori never thought Takumi capable of, he dried one cheek with his palm and carefully wiped her eye. Her mind buzzed with something other than sorrow as he continued. "You have to be strong now, Momo. You have to be strong enough to keep moving forward without her, no matter how much it hurts."

"I can't," she murmured, her voice trembling. "I just can't… not alone…"

"Then move forward with me," he managed. The weight of his own words drove him to fall against her shoulder. A slight gasp escaped her as he ensnared her frame in his trembling arms. He was powerless to hold Hinamori against her will, yet she was powerless to deny him the right. "I can't do it alone. Taichou isn't with me anymore, and I grew so dependent on that company, so utterly dependent… I was a fool to have pursued it. I should have stayed isolated. It's just… it's just so much less complicated to endure it all by yourself, but now that I know what friendship and admiration are like, I can't go back to that. I can't… I can't do this alone." Hinamori felt the tremors working through his typically strong frame. She felt every muscle flex, every silent sob he wept against her shoulder. Eventually, his tears soaked through her dress. Her arms encircled his head, pressing him closer. Unable to take that much, Takumi immediately pulled back, but she struggled so much to hold on to him that they both nearly wound up falling a number of times.

"Why are you struggling?" she demanded.

"None of your business. Forget everything I said."

"Oh, for the gods' sakes, quit fighting me!" Startled by the fury in her voice, Takumi did as she asked. The next thing he knew, his face was pressed against her chest, which made him want to struggle even more, but Hinamori seemed intent on holding him there just long enough for him to listen. "I'm sick of you trying to push me away, Takumi. I won't let you do it anymore."

"You're talking nonsense," he stated, finding his reason once again and pulling against the arms that bound him. "Let go of me, Momo."

"I won't," she said through her tears. "I won't."

"You don't understand."

"I understand perfectly well, and I don't care." Paralyzed by the knowledge that she was crying, Takumi finally accepted his captivity with a sigh. He was uncomfortable, not to mention blushing, but if that's where she wanted him, then that's where he had to be. His eye slowly sank shut, and for the first time since the early hours of morning, he found the peace of mind he thought had left with Haru. "Demon or not, you're someone I know I can count on, so don't beg me to stay with you in one breath and demand that I forget you asked in the next."

"Even though I'm a threat to your status as a vice captain?"

"Because you're a threat to it." Takumi felt a hand glide over his hair. With her grip loosened, he could at least turn his head and breathe a little, but it was difficult knowing who the hand belonged to. "Life hasn't been kind to you, but you still smile. That in itself makes me want to step down and give you a chance at this…"

"All that is over now."

"Nani?"

"The only captain I can ever follow is Haru. Now that she's gone, that dream has ended. I can go back to being Byakuya's seventh seat and serve out the rest of my days wondering what would have happened if she had stayed."

"Takumi…"

"For heaven's sake, don't apologize. It isn't your fault; it's mine. I'll have to live with the consequences of my action, or inaction rather, until the day I take my last breath." He closed his eye and sighed again. "Ano… you're holding me a little tight."

"Gomen!" she cried, releasing him entirely. Takumi rubbed his head and readjusted his eye patch slightly. His hand lingered there for a moment, pressing against it and the void on the other side of the fabric. He glanced at Hinamori and smiled slightly. "Na… nandesuka?"

"You're cute when you blush."

"Urusai," she retorted, punching him in the arm.

"What are you hitting me for? It wasn't my fault I wound up there." He indicated the general vicinity where his face had hitherto been pressed and glanced sheepishly away. "Neh, Hinamori…"

"Hmm?"

"Can I… still call you Momo… even though I'm not a vice captain?" She remembered with a sharp pang of pain the reason behind his comment and bowed her head, trying to contain her tears and mask her agony with a smile the same way her captain would have in that situation.

"Hai."

"I'm glad," he murmured, tilting her chin with one hand. "I'd be even more glad, though, if you could stop crying."

"Gomen…"

"Oi, didn't I tell you not to apologize for no reason?"

"Hai, demo…"

"Don't 'demo' me, either," he retorted, brushing one tear away with the back of his thumb. "I would rather see you cry than know you've been hiding your tears." For a moment, she smiled. She couldn't help but smile, seeing the reassurance in Takumi's expression, but Hinamori was only capable of upholding the guise of happiness for a moment. When she felt the onset of tears again, she let out a sob and reached out to him, and recalling the instructions Haru had left behind, Takumi had no choice but to pull her closer. He allowed himself to reflect on whether or not he would have done it without the order to take care of Hinamori, but it was only a passing thought because a moment was all the longer he could bear to consider it.

After a time, her frame stopped shaking, and her breaths came in regular intervals rather than hitching at random. "Takumi."

"Hmm?" he asked, having followed a trail of thought deeper than he should have. Realizing she was finally still and in control of her emotions, he stated, "Right, right… I'm letting go." Takumi couldn't help but note how hesitant she seemed to draw away. Even when they were apart, one hand clung to his left sleeve. Hinamori stared at the hand as if asking it to let go, but for some reason, it seemed beyond her control. "What's wrong? Are you going to cry some more?"

"You're warm," Hinamori admitted. "You're warm even though the world has always been so cold to you."

"I'm warm because I'm alive."

"You say that like your situation makes no difference."

"It does, but I decided long before you woke up this morning that I would keep living despite the void she left behind. I have to, because the taichou I know would want me to." He said it as if it were speculation, but in reality, Haru's instructions explicitly directed him to do as he willed so long as it meant doing _something _of use. Still, trouble bubbled in Hinamori's gaze, causing him to immediately place a hand over her own. Her eyes shot upward, startled at the gesture and even more startled at the difficult smile on his face. "I know she would want the same for you, too, Momo."

"Takumi…"

"Oi, oi, oi… you two young lovers need to break it up." The comment caused Hinamori to lurch backward, but Takumi remained rooted to the spot, only throwing an irate gaze towards the door.

"Eh?" Takumi shouted. "I think you've grossly misconstrued the situation, Abarai-fukutaichou. The only reason I came in here is because I hate seeing a woman's tears. It's the only thing I can't stand in this world. Yep… I reckon it could strip me of everything and I wouldn't care, but when a woman cries, I'll do anything I can to stop it."

"You're crazy," Renji retorted.

"Look who's talking. How about a knock next time?" Takumi glanced to Hinamori, who was currently absorbed in a slight blush. "Anyway, what's up? You look serious."

"We've been given orders."

"From who?" he asked, getting to his feet and adjusting his eye patch slightly.

"From… Yamamoto-soutaichou." The weight of authority that accompanied the name caused Takumi to freeze and iced over the blush in Hinamori's cheeks.

"Na… nani?" he stammered.

"We're supposed to return to Soul Society immediately."

"Seriously?" Takumi nearly staggered under the weight of the order. "What about Byakuya? Where is he?"

"Ready to go. Apparently, Yamamoto-soutaichou called an emergency meeting between all the captains and vice captains. He needs you both there."

"Hai," Hinamori murmured.

"Seriously? What the hell do I have to go to some meeting for?"

"If I knew that, I'd tell ya. Unfortunately, I'm just as in the dark about it as you are. Why the captain commander would waste his time on you is completely…"

"Now, now, you shouldn't belittle the captain commander, Renji. After all, if he wants to waste his time on me, than he's more than welcome to damn well do it." He glanced to Hinamori, who was still kneeling on her futon, and extended a hand to help her up. "Come on." Nodding slightly, she placed her hand in his own and was instantly pulled to her feet. He immediately released it and turned towards the door, expecting her to follow. Once he noted the absence of her footsteps, he glanced over his shoulder.

"I'll be along in a moment. I need to speak with Abarai-san in private."

"Eh?" Renji muttered. "What do ya want with me?" Takumi smiled and bowed his head in gratitude. The glaringly obvious opportunity she was granting him could not be wasted. He disappeared without an awkward feeling or a heavy heart and walked steadily towards the dining room, which also housed what he felt would ultimately become his destiny.

* * *

"Look," Takumi said, sitting down with a casual air and staring across the table to the entirely composed Byakuya. "I know we don't exactly see eye to eye, and I realize I must seem ungrateful for requesting a transfer out of the sixth division, but I think you know the only reason I did that has since been removed." In his attempt to put it discretely, Takumi realized he hadn't considered the possibility that Byakuya still considered Haru more than a mere "reason," but since the neither regal captain nor his stoic mask objected, Takumi made no attempt to correct himself. "I just want to know… how I go about getting back into the sixth division."

"It is simple. I shred the transfer form, you return to being my nanaseki, and things keep moving forward as they have."

"Really?" Takumi asked. Byakuya made no further effort to explain. He stirred and suppressed a sigh before letting his eyes fall shut. "Bya—I mean, Kuchiki-taichou… know that my request is only in effect if you feel like you're willing to put up with me."

"Nani?"

"What I mean to say is, if you don't want me in your division, or if you feel like I'm not fit to be your nanaseki, then by all means, reject my petition. Forget everything I just said. Time will walk on one way or the other." He raised a hand and touched the eye patch as the only brilliant blue optic he had left drifted closed.

"That is not what I meant. What I intended to ask you is, why the sudden change?"

"Huh?"

"I do believe this is the first time you have referred to me as 'Kuchiki-taichou.'" Takumi smiled slightly and bowed his head.

"She would have wanted me to." A flash of emotion burned in Byakuya's eyes, then vanished as he shut them. He rose without looking at Takumi and walked towards the door, well aware that he was followed by the one eye. Then, he uttered the last words he had spoken to the current moment.

"I will consider it."

* * *

Takumi gazed past Renji at the roku on Byakuya's back, barely visible in the dark hallway. He had no idea where they were going, but both Renji and Hinamori seemed familiar with the route, as did the captain that was leading them. With each step, he grew slightly more uneasy. The silence weighed heavily around them and seemed to devour every ounce of composure he could hope to capture. His situation was made even more unbearable by Haru's absence and by the presence of one incriminating document beneath his shihakusho. Of course, no one would search him; though the Fujiwara had a horrible reputation in Soul Society no thanks to his father, his sister had a decent standing in the tenth division. It was the first step in his family's fight to regain its honor, and he would no doubt be the second.

A weighty feeling washed over him as he followed Renji and Hinamori through a door. Immediately, nausea set in because the eyes of every captain fell on those who entered: first to Byakuya, who immediately took his place among the ranks, then to Renji who took his place behind his captain, then to Hinamori, who stood in the normally vacant fifth division captain's place, and finally to Takumi, who became petrified under so many gazes. _I've loathed authority for so long, but now that I'm here, I feel like there isn't a defiant bone in my body. _ Not knowing what else to do, he remained where he stood and waited for instructions, peering up every now and then.

"Fujiwara Takumi," Yamamoto said slowly.

"Hai," he murmured, standing erect. The elderly man's eyes narrowed.

"Step forward."

"H… hai." Takumi walked forward, aware that he was the center of attention and silently loathing every moment of it. When he stood before the captain commander, he paused and bowed his head.

"You seem to have brought back a war wound from the human world." Takumi bowed his head under the shame. "Tell me… who took your eye?"

"An espada," he answered. "Sexta espada. I don't know his name, but he was the same one that attacked me in Soul Society a week or so ago." A murmur of disbelief weaved in and out of the room but fell silent when Yamamoto slammed his staff onto the ground. "I apologize for my lack of an ability to fend him off. If I were stronger, then…"

"Save your apologies. I didn't bring you here to chastise you." Takumi glanced up, wondering if he had truly heard the words. "You are here to explain why you and Hinamori Momo have returned to Soul Society so soon and the events that took place in the human world leading up to a considerable shortening of your visit. Explain it to me, Fujiwara Takumi, and to the officers standing in this room."

"Me? Why me?" Takumi cried.

"Because, as I understand it, you were the only witness." Immediately, his stomach sank. In all likelihood, Byakuya was to blame; he had probably sent a hell butterfly back to Soul Society once he had received orders to return stating that Takumi had claimed to witness. He threw a discrete leer at Byakuya, who was, as usual, walled up behind a strong mask of indifference. He glanced to Hinamori, whose eyes were troubled and agonized by having to relive everything so soon. Takumi shut his eye and sighed.

_Please forgive me, Yamashita-taichou, and I'd like you to forgive me as well, Momo, for having to cause you more pain…_ He peered up at Yamamoto again.

"We are waiting."

"Hai," he stated, straightening his shoulders and instantly putting on the face of a soldier. One more glance at Hinamori was all it took to renew his courage and provide him with the stability he needed to make a lie the truth. He took a breath to steady his nerve. Then, he began. "This morning, I woke up while it was still dark, feeling some strange force goading me to rise. I did as it requested and stumbled across the last person I expected to see doing the last thing I would ever expect her to do. I could say nothing to placate her. She was set on doing what she left Soul Society wanting to do."

"You're being vague," Hitsugaya retorted in his typical jaded tone. "Just tell us what happened."

"In precisely three words," Takumi answered, throwing his one clear eye on the tenth division captain, "Yamashita Haru defected." His expression changed in an instant to one of distain and disbelief. The solemnity on Unohana's face was apparent. Ukitake and Shunsui exchanged puzzled glances. Those who didn't know her directly recognized the name immediately.

"There was a Yamashita here?" Komamura asked. "But when? And how?"

"If I understand the genealogy correctly, then the ex-captain of the fifth division, Tokazawa Misuzu, entered into a relationship with Yamashita Tatsuhiro. Haru-kun was the eventual byproduct of that relationship, and she was, as far as I could see, a true force to be reckoned with." Byakuya's eyes flickered as he spoke, not with emotion but with a lack thereof.

"I know that I counted myself to be especially lucky that I was never on the other side of her sword," Ukitake admitted.

"I don't understand… how is this even possible?" Hitsugaya demanded.

"Nothing is impossible," Takumi said in a solemn tone. "Regardless of what you think of the situation, the words I give you are reality. Your disbelief won't change anything. It won't change her mind, and it won't bring her back."

"Are you saying this was premeditated?" Unohana asked.

"As premeditated as it comes. She must have been planning this for weeks." Takumi dropped his head and raised a hand to it. "I should have seen the signs. If I had made any sense of them sooner, maybe I could have done something, and we wouldn't all be standing here right now, wondering what course of action to take against her when she comes back."

"That is simple," Yamamoto stated. "However, I think I speak for all of us when I say Soul Society has suffered a tremendous blow. The loss will be the crux of the matter." Hinamori nodded slightly and tried to conceal the tears in her eyes, tears that wouldn't spring forth but would reveal how deeply she had been wounded by this second betrayal. "These are my orders to all of you. If Yamashita Haru happens to be sent down here by Aizen, I want no hesitation. Either kill her on the spot, or she will be executed at our earliest convenience for the crime of treason." Takumi perceived the stirrings of discontent in his own heart, so, to keep himself from speaking out of turn, he clenched a fist and stared at the floor. "Captains, you are to report this information to your divisions. When Haru proves to be a threat to us, we will take action against her. Tell your subordinates not to engage in battle alone. The strength of a captain, or someone who was close to becoming a captain, can only be effectively countered by another captain." Zaraki grinned and chuckled malevolently.

"Sounds fun. Sign me up."

"Baka," Hitsugaya retorted. "Haru isn't that easy to beat. I had a hard time myself."

"We'll have to find a way," Takumi put in. "Otherwise, she will be the demise of Soul Society and of us."

"Fujiwara-san," Unohana interrupted, "are you certain there was no way you could stop her?"

"Positive," he answered. "She threatened me when I tried. I wasn't about to risk dying in vain. If I had let myself be killed there, then I wouldn't be of any use to Soul Society now, so… I guess there really is some stock in retreat."

"Bull shit," Zaraki retorted. "You shoulda just killed her then and there." Takumi was familiar with Zaraki's reputation, so he didn't take offense to the comment. He merely smiled and shook his head.

"Sorry. That's just not the way I do things." He couldn't suppress the smile his pride coaxed into being, especially as he reflected on all the times in the past that it had been silenced.

"Is that all?" Yamamoto demanded.

"I have nothing else to report," Takumi responded. "But if I come up with anything, I'll be sure to send some indicator your way… a note or something. I wouldn't inconvenience you with coming back again." He added a bow just so no one would perceive him as arrogant, then turned away, having tired of being under the scrutiny of so many captains. Takumi's hand wandered to his face, and he brushed his fingers against the exposed portion of the two lines left behind by Grimmjow's assault. _We are like these scars, taichou. We were meant to run in the same direction._

"You are all dismissed," Yamamoto stated. "Despite these troubled times, you must try to carry with you some dim flicker of hope. It will light the way when true darkness falls." If not for those words, Takumi would have continued walking, but he stopped in his tracks and immediately turned around with bewilderment filling his expression. The captains left without speaking to him, but each glanced at him in turn. Hinamori touched his arm in passing and encouraged him to move, but he didn't seem to perceive her. It was almost as if he had been swallowed up by the demon inside of him.

"Takumi…"

"I'll be along in a minute. Wait for me if you've got something to say."

"Takumi, you can't just…" But seeing as all reason was useless against the will of a demon, she crept out, leaving only the captain commander and himself behind.

"You know." Genryuusai raised a brow at the certainty in Takumi's voice. "You know about everything."

"Was it that obvious?" Takumi covered his eye patch and threw his gaze to the floor.

"Nande?" he murmured. "That's the one thing I don't understand. You know it's all a sham, as long as she doesn't die… everything, right down to her reason for going to the human world. It's the biggest damn deception in history. Why go along with something like that and let everyone believe she's a traitor?" The elderly shinigami turned away, peering out one of the windows with nothing but a grim look painted over his face. "If she dies there, what then? Will you let her heroism go unnoticed?"

"Have some faith in your captain, Fujiwara," Genryuusai responded, slamming his staff against the floor as he spoke. "What she proposed to me was a tall request, one that I had no reason to refuse given her vows of loyalty. The Yamashita clan, despite its long history of deception, takes immense pride in giving promises and keeping them. Of all the shinigami I know, Haru-sama is the only one who may return from Hueco Mundo alive and with her sanity in tow. Do you disagree?"

"I… iie." The captain commander's countenance became more bearable after that. He turned around with an almost gentle look in his features. "Ano… Yamamoto-soutaichou…"

"Hmm?"

"I… was just wondering… what I should do now."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Kuchiki-taichou said he would let me come back as his seventh seat, but if there's somewhere else my hands are needed, then…" Takumi hesitated and rubbed the back of his head.

"What is it that you propose?"

"I want a partial transfer."

"You know about those?" Yamamoto inquired.

"It was something I read at the academy, and I think it was something you unofficially gave taichou near the end of things." Takumi rested his hand on the hilt of his katana and allowed his eye to fall shut. "From what I understand, the paperwork isn't as clean cut as a regular transfer, but I feel like I have to ask for this… so I can look after Kuchiki-taichou and Momo. Even if it's coming off as a betrayal, I know they've been hurt."

"Since when did you care about Byakuya-dono?"

"I don't, but someone who does asked me to keep the only good eye I've got locked on both of them, because she doesn't want to jeopardize her reason for coming back."

"And Hinamori Momo?"

"My reasons for that are entirely personal. Aside from the fact that taichou acknowledges her worth, I feel like I owe her a favor for putting up with me so much." Genryuusai considered it for a moment. Something in Takumi's youthful nature reminded him of Haru, something so strong that he felt his heart crack beneath the overwhelming anxiety.

"Very well, Fujiwara Takumi. You are henceforth awarded a partial transfer to the fifth division. I will take care of the paperwork later."

"Domo arigato-gozaimasu, Yamamoto-soutaichou-sama." Takumi bowed and left without saying farewell. Once Genryuusai was alone, he spent a long moment staring vacantly at the pale blue sky, knowing full well that the paperwork for Takumi's partial transfer, much like Haru's, would never actually get done.

It was so simple to act happy when someone was around, but Takumi knew the moment he was alone, the impact of last night's events would truly sink in. They already were, even though his sister was just in the next room sleeping. Spotting the opportune moment, he sat up and slid his window open, making sure the prescribed document was in tow before climbing over the sill and setting his bare feet on the dew-covered grass. As if her verbal reminder wasn't enough, Haru had put her final order into writing. Takumi toyed with the words in his head as he walked. _My final request is that you destroy these few sheets of paper when you have finished your tasks. Knowing you will do as I ask and knowing that no one else will ever find these puts my mind greatly at ease already._

"Baka," he murmured as he noted the terrain change under his feet. "How can you say your mind will be at ease… when you're going to that horrible place?" Takumi raised his eye to the stars. Suzaku seemed bright that night even though it was officially fall. Too bad his spirits couldn't be as high as they were. _The demon I was, the man I've become… I can't decide which of them I like better._

_If you want, I could always take over from time to time, _Akumashoku stated, _you know, just for a little variety…_

_When the time comes, I will be calling on you to give me the strength to kill. Until then, just talking like this is enough. _The world within him was silent and dark. He knew it even though he wasn't there to see it.

_You're still hung up on her._

_Can you really blame me?_

_Of course not, _answered the zanpakutoh. _May I point out, though, that your worry solely stems from your doubt?_

_I don't doubt taichou._

_Takumi, have you already forgotten that my eyes can see what you refuse to see? _He shuddered at the reminder and said nothing in return. _You may avert your eyes, but you can't deny seeing what you have._

_No, I can't._

_And what have you seen, Takumi? _

_That's just it. I haven't seen much of anything… with the exception of Yamamoto-soutaichou._

_Then look farther._

Takumi scoffed aloud. _You make it sound so easy. Still… _He paused and walked to the middle of the bridge, peering for a moment at the star-lit water below. Slowly, he extracted a souvenir from the real world from his yukata, a small silver lighter, and flipped the cap open. With one flick of the flint, a yellow-orange flame sprang to life and ate away at the envelope in his hand. _If things like this were easy, then maybe I wouldn't think life was so difficult. _Takumi watched the fire as it devoured the paper. He only released it when the heat burnt his fingers, and by then, the fire had marred Haru's writing beyond recognition. The cinders fell into the water below and fizzled out, floating away on its gentle current.

He couldn't admire the stars on his way back home. He even failed to recognize when and where exactly the bridge had turned into a road, and the road into the small patch of grass that surrounded his home. He paused at his window because he saw light pouring out of it. Knowing that no threat lingered within the confines of his quarters, he leapt through the frame and gently shut the window behind him. He stared at the other occupant for a moment, at the light she was holding above the palm of her hand, and nodded slowly. "I thought members of the tenth division didn't use kidou."

"And I thought little brothers were supposed to at least tell big sisters when they were going somewhere." A pair of intense eyes peered through the light, surrounded by locks of hair that were almost shorter than Takumi's own. "Honestly, you leave for four days without saying anything. Then, you come back like it's no big deal and wind up sneaking out before dawn the next morning." Takumi glanced away as a sudden bout of reticence set in. "I don't intend to lecture you," she continued. "I'm only saying I worry because you're the only little brother I have. Whatever you were off doing, you lost an eye. You could have just as easily lost your life."

"Gomen, Onee-chan," he said softly, allowing his eye to fall shut.

"Hey…" The light from the kidou went out, but even with his eyes closed, Takumi still perceived her drawing near. She pressed a hand to the left side of his face and peered into it, brows knit together, eyes shining vividly in the darkness. "What's the matter?" As much as Takumi tried holding out for solitude, he inwardly admitted he could no longer bolster the weight. He fell against her shoulder and embraced her, a brotherly bit of affection he hadn't shown her in a long time because he always said he was too old for things like that. "Takumi…"

"Just let me stay here a moment," he said quietly. "Don't… don't leave me." A motherly hand stroked the back of his head, and he breathed a quivering sigh against the side of her neck.

"Who was she?"

"Hmm?"

"You just told someone not to leave you. I know you weren't just speaking to me." Takumi nodded slowly.

"She was… my captain."

"And where did she go?"

"Mari…"

"If you answer my question, maybe you'll feel a little better." Takumi sank father down at that, but his sister remained standing, supporting him without difficulty.

"She… went somewhere where the light can't reach." Mari smiled and touched his shoulder, bringing him back to his right state of mind with nothing more than that.

"And will she come back?" she asked, drying his tears with the same hand that had stilled his sentiments. Takumi blinked and peered up at her, as if for the first time allowing himself to speculate the possibility. Without even realizing it, he had reached up and touched his eye patch, which he covered with his hand as he bowed his head. "What is it that you're hiding from me, Takumi? Is it something you don't want me to see?"

"Not so much," he answered. "It's just something you don't need to see yet." Takumi rested against her shoulder, huddled against it like a frightened child, yet in his tone and mannerisms rested some sign of comfort that put his sister more at ease. She couldn't help but embrace him, touching his shoulders gently and sighing against his hair. Takumi relished the feeling; he had long since forgotten what it was like to be shown any sort of familial affection. "Onee-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"Let me ask you something. Don't panic when I ask you, though. Promise you won't."

"I swear not to."

"Alright." Takumi pulled away and peered at her, resting his hands on her shoulders and looking for a moment like the older brother. "Have you ever been interested in another person?"

"Of course, all the time. People are very fascinating to me."

"That's not what I meant," he murmured, rising to his feet and pacing to his futon. He threw himself on it and untied his eyepatch, which he lay next to his pillow before turning onto his side. The golden locks of his hair consumed the scars and the void where his eye had been from sight, but darkness also cloaked him. The silvery moonlight illuminated the rest of his features, so that his remaining eye shimmered like a chip of aquamarine. "I mean, have you ever liked someone… you know, in more than a friendly sort of way?"

"Nande?"

"Just wondering if you have someone you like is all." Takumi rolled over on his stomach and waited for the answer, fixing his one eye on her. She sat staring at the floorboards, physically paralyzed yet emotionally composed. He kicked his feet through the air and tilted his head, then touched the scars on his face and smiled again. "You do."

"I don't!" she shouted.

"Come on, onee-chan… I'm not stupid. You've had a thing for Hajime ever since you left the academy. The only reason you didn't make a move is because I scared him off before you could." She glared at him fiercely, her eyes penetrating the dark and stabbing into him, but Takumi simply continued smiling. Finally, she let her eyes drop, wringing her hands in her lap as she exuded a heavy sigh.

"I never told anyone about that."

"But I knew," Takumi stated. Mari slowly peered up at him.

"How?"

"How else?"

"Do you mean…" She cut herself off, afraid to even utter anything about the topic, but the situation warranted it. "Do you mean to say that, even though your left eye was taken away, even though that eye was the seat of your power, you can still…" Takumi sat up and let his arms drop, shutting his eye and bowing his head. Mari crawled towards her brother's futon and grasped his shoulders firmly. "How, Takumi? How is it possible? You can't be using your right eye, can you?"

"Iie," he answered.

"Then… how?" Takumi peered at her and tilted his head just enough to reveal the lines on is face but not enough to reveal the extent of the damage. He kept the eye closed even though there wasn't an eye there. Mari brushed his hair away and touched the lines, trying the best she could to restrain her anxious tears. "How, Takumi?"

"I can't explain," he murmured. "All I can say is that I know I will need this power one day. I will need it to protect someone very precious to me, and when that day comes, I risk losing my life over it."

"Takumi!"

"Still, I think the price is rather small in the grand scheme of things," he continued, peering towards a dark corner of the room. Somewhere beyond that darkness, there seemed to linger an answer to all his riddles and a panacea to soothe his weary mind, but tonight, at least, the solution to his problem would escape whatever scrutiny he gave it. His mind was on his captain, particularly on her well-being, and on his sister, who drew his gaze to her by laying a hand on top of his. It was impossible to feel connected to that world when the one he admired was so distant.

* * *

Yay! It is finished! Well, not yay. I still have plenty to do before I update again. _' For your amusement, the Japanese Lesson:

Hai: Yes

Kuso: Japanese swear word

Souka: I see

Iie: No

Gomen: Apology

Nani: What

Sayonara: Farewell, usually used in long-term situations

Chibi roku: Little six, a.k.a. Grimmjow's nickname for Haru

Ohayo: Good morning

Baka: Stupid

Ano: Japanese equivalent of um

Ohayogozaimasu: Polite good morning

Doushite: How

Nande: Why

Betsuni: Nothing

Yare, yare: Well, well

Nandesuka: What is it?

Demo: But

Domo arigato-gozaimasu: Extremely formal thanks

Many thanks again! You readers, reviewers, favoriters, watchers (which is kind of a euphemism for stalkers… LOL), etc. are what make this story possible. Until next chapter, please be patient, and I hope you enjoyed it! =D


	20. Chapter 20: Destination

A/N: **Rises from grave**... I LIVE!

Needless to say, my absense can be blamed on grad school, which is Erudite for chaos. I practically haven't stopped since I've been up here. My other browser fails epically. It kept giving me error messages when I tried to upload another chapter, which is really irritating, so in part, that is to blame for the delay. Otherwise, it's my own indolence. The real world too often distracts me from my work. Thus, I do apologize profusely for my sluggish speed. I promise it was not my intention to wait this long. I can't promise I'll get any better with updating since the end of the semester is just around the corner, and I've officially started the groundwork for my thesis, but I promise I'll be slightly more diligent with it... which is why I will strive to have another chapter up by the end of this week. Thank you all for your patience. Oh, and before I forget, special shout-out to the reviewers of last chapter:

Getsurenka, kudokuchan69, ladydeath100, nao-chan, AmoreVampiresv-v, Kaiyira, xxHeartless_Girlxx, and AnimeGurl9871.

Hugs to you all, readers and reviewers alike, and now, the long-awaited next chapter! =D

* * *

_Chapter 20: Destination_

The whole situation was disorienting. There she was, in the middle of the enemy's nest with her father's violin case hanging between her hands, her zanpakutoh hanging at her side, and her Seele Schneider expertly concealed from sight. A whirl of numerous unfamiliar reiatsu drifted through the air, along with an overwhelmingly dense nebulous of spirit particles that she could practically see. Still, Haru couldn't help but admire the architecture, for in some sense, it deserved admiration. She knew she typically couldn't care less about such things, yet such a simple matter kept her mind preoccupied as she followed the espada through the interconnected web of corridors. She silently admired the dark halls, not wanting to infuriate her guide for any reason.

_So, this is Hueco Mundo, _she thought. _Las noches… a Spanish term, translating literally to "The nights." The name suits the place. _There was hardly any light to be spoken of. She wasn't sure why it needed to be plural, but already, it felt like some kind of shadowy snare of eternal repetition. She wondered if Grimmjow had noticed the change in her attitude as they progressed towards their destination. Somewhere in the void separating Hueco Mundo from the human world, Haru had locked her emotions away, at least to an extent that would hide her odium. Once she grew tired of examining the walls, she let her eyes fall to the dark, granite-colored floor. _You swore you would never hate me, Byakuya-sama. Shinji and Hiyori… both swore they would never doubt my loyalty. Now, let me test the strength of your words, my friends, for you give me strength to walk here, in the hall of shadow._

Haru peered at the back of her guide, still questioning whether or not she was in her right mind, but the time to question was long past. She was a captive, now, of her own volition. Grimmjow never bothered to turn back and make sure she was still following. Apparently, he trusted her word, but only on the orders of his superior. "Ano…" she murmured softly, causing him to stop with such suddenness that she took one step back. "Gomen. I was just wondering where you were taking me is all. I mean… it seems to be taking a while…" Haru couldn't suppress her gasp as he extended one fist and slammed it against the wall, splitting both the stone and his knuckles simultaneously. "Grimmjow-san…"

"Shut the hell up and follow me."

"Demo…"

"Look," he snarled, seizing the front of her uniform with the same bloody hand. "If you need led here, then you'd better at least focus on following. "Don't try getting all friendly with me. You're a shinigami no matter what Aizen-sama says, and I hate you for it. Nothing will ever change that." Haru listened to all of this with wide eyes. The color drained straight out of her face, and the moment he released her, she fell to a heap on her knees, unable to restrain the tremors working through her shoulders. "Get up, or I'll drag you the rest of the way there."

"It's not my fault," she managed between breaths. _And it isn't yours, _she silently added as she peered up at him. More than his manner, the feel of the place was beginning to affect her. The reishi were so dense… she felt a hunger inside of her that she had long forgotten. Aside from that, she could feel the ache spread across her back caused by that familiar reiatsu, the one that she had ignored until that precise moment in time. Grimmjow was still staring at her, expecting her to get to her feet. With another breath, Haru managed it, although standing was a struggle, and continued following Grimmjow in silence, listening to the soft pitter-patter of blood that dripped off of his hand.

When Grimmjow came to a set of double doors, he pushed them open with the same force he used with the wall. Haru flinched as they struck the walls behind them and suddenly felt like shrinking into his shadow. She felt the animosity of eye in the room, locked on her as if she were some foreign thing they had no experience with. As to the three shinigami… _Ex-shinigami_, she reminded herself, she couldn't really feel a connection to any of them. One seemed blind and had dark skin, the other snake-like and smiling in a wicked yet amiable manner, and the third… the sight of him nearly drew her to her knees again. She hadn't seen him since that fateful day, and with each day that passed following her decision, she had prayed she would never have to see him, yet there he was without his glasses, leaning on his folded hands and peering at her with unsettlingly great interest. Thankful for her own eyewear, Haru swallowed and allowed her feet to act the way they saw fit. After taking two steps forward, she stopped and dropped into a bow. She only rose after the silence dragged on long enough for her neck to start aching, and that didn't take long.

The eyes were still on her, so she remained silent, glimpsing Grimmjow in her peripheral vision and immediately scurrying behind him, as if he would be any barrier between her and all those eyes. A low growl rose in his throat, and she half considered abandoning her post, but the six etched into his back kept her from doing so. After all, that number had brought her comfort before. Perplexed, she shifted her eyes from the rest of the espada to an infuriated Grimmjow, who had grown tired of her presence and raised one hand to physically force her away. "Grimmjow," Aizen said in a warning tone. His mercy struck her as peculiar, and his voice chilled her to the bone, but she still peered towards him, trying vainly to express her gratitude, but it was short lived. All thanks dissolved when his addendum drifted through the air. "Kill her."

It seemed he didn't want to question that order. Before Haru could make a move, a clawed hand wrapped around her throat and applied an uncomfortable pressure to her windpipe. She heard the struggling noise escaping her mouth, realized that she was no longer gripping the violin case and that her hands were now wrapped around his wrist. _What… _she thought. _What is he hesitating for? _She could feel it, the faint sensation in his hand, as if he were trying to hold himself back. _Does he pity me? Iie… impossible… _She peered down at him for a moment, tried to read his eyes… what the hell was she doing? Searching for something that wasn't there. _I left it all behind, but still, I… I can go back to it if I survive. _That notion kindled her resolve. She hardly knew when she had wrapped a hand around her zanpakutoh, much less when she had slammed it against Grimmjow's head, but she had, and the action so surprised him that he drew back, leaving Haru to fall against the stone in a coughing fit. Haru perceived his movement and flashed backwards as the sword cut into the stone. Once she recovered her balance, she threw her haori from her shoulders and pointed the weapon in his direction. The motion was perfect; she removed her cross with it, and neither made any noise short of rustling as they struck the floor. _Whatever it was then, it's gone now. Maybe I was just mistaken. Still… I can't fight like this._

Haru's lack of confidence was imperceptible to Grimmjow, who held his ground and waited for her to attack. Fortunately, Haru's mind worked far better than her body did in that environment. She slowly let her sword fall to her side and shut her eyes. This mission required complete and total surrender, insofar as her moral and personal boundaries allowed. Fighting back would only exacerbate the situation and trouble her seamless transition into their society. She breathed one sigh while she pushed her glasses up. "Nani? Are you done already?" Grimmjow demanded, wiping the blood away from his temple.

"I have no reason to fight you," she answered. "After all, you are an ally of Aizen-sama, which makes you an ally of mine, and other than the occasional bout of sparring, which allows two companions to help each other grow in strength, allies should never draw swords on one another."

"To hell with that," Grimmjow retorted, yanking his sword out and vaulting in her direction.

_A frontal attack… what a surprise, _she thought, dodging the sword with little difficulty. With every attack, Grimmjow's expression grew more and more frustrated, whereas Haru seemed more and more content with merely dodging. _I can keep doing this for hours, because this takes less energy than swinging a sword, yet I know I cannot simply waste my time doing this. I have things to do. _

"Damn it! Will you stand still?" he snarled, twisting his sword to jab forward. Spotting her opportunity, Haru flashed out of sight and set one foot against his blade gently enough so that it remained steady. Using that foot as her fulcrum, Haru leaned her entire body back and brought her leg upwards, allowing herself to smile when it contacted his chin and sent him flying backwards. She saw the floor one moment, and before the next arrived, she was on her feet, and in her role.

"What gives, Aizen-sama?" she retorted with a nonchalant shrug, forgetting all of her anxiety in the thrill of battle. "Here I am, willingly walking into Las Noches with the help of a guide you sent to retrieve me, and this is the welcome I get? Honestly, talk about poor hospitality…" Grimmjow raced towards her again and cut nothing but air. Once Haru returned to sight, she debated silently on what to do. The choice was obvious; the sham made attacking impossible, but she couldn't very well embrace the fate Aizen had decided for her. Her eyes glowed with contemplation. More than anything, she hated the impasse she suddenly found herself in the middle of.

When the next blow fell, she didn't raise her sword. She kept her feet firmly planted. There was no way Aizen would let her die. Her certainty of that was so great that she resolved not to move. Sure enough, when he entered the danger zone, Grimmjow was dragged into a bow by a reiatsu so intense, it was asphyxiating. His sword clanged against the ground as his knees gave way. Sighing with relief for her own preservation, Haru tried to provide him with an apologetic look, one that simply caused him to glare all the harder. The moment for reconciliation hadn't arrived yet, so she settled for pacing calmly across the floor and lifting her violin. She returned to her original erect posture slowly, giving each of the espada a bit of scrutiny before rising fully.

"Did you know I would save you?"

"In a manner of speaking," she answered, peering back to Grimmjow, who was still suffering the after-effects of Aizen's reiatsu. "I figured out you wanted me alive long ago." Haru tried to convey her sympathy to Grimmjow, who only gave her a dark leer in return. "The question is, what do you want with me now that I've come?"

"Simple enough. I want you to pay your debt." He rose slowly from his seat and began pacing across the room. Haru had half a mind to draw away, but her composure appeared unshakable. She remained where she stood, keeping her shoulders rigid as long as one hand lingered near her sword. "After all, you're the key to unlocking the door opportunity keeps knocking on."

"And what do you intend to do after you've used me?"

"That depends on how cooperative you are," Aizen stated, pacing in a small circle around her, "and how interested you keep me." A jolt of fear pulsed through her veins. For a moment, she thought… but no, that couldn't be the case. Haru shut her eyes and considered it until a shadow passed before her eyes. Finding him closer than she desired, she withdrew several steps and cleared her throat.

"Moushiwake arimasen, Aizen-sama. I'm afraid I still prefer my distance." He chuckled darkly and smiled, no doubt recollecting on her many aversions of him during childhood. It was difficult not to be taken back with him as she seemed to have misplaced her sense since then. "At any rate, if you're discussing debts, I do believe my choice to come here warrants something in return." She peered past him for a moment to gauge the reactions of the espada. Each of them expressed either indifference or astonishment, but none of them spoke. "I will follow your orders to the extent that I can, but bear in mind that I am not an assassin. I won't have you sending me out to kill anyone. Also, I'd like you to stay out of Soul Society."

"Aizen-sama…"

"Kaname, I asked you to be silent. After all, we don't want to startle her."

"With all due respect, sir," he stated as he stood, "I must verbalize my concerns. Is it really wise to be doing business with this girl, considering the dubious nature of her loyalty…"

"Oh, for the gods' sakes, if I'm not loyal, then why am I here?" Haru suddenly felt more accustomed to the environment. Perhaps it was the glance she gave Grimmjow and his obvious recovery from Aizen's disciplinary measures. "I'm only asking you this for your own good. After all, they won't take kindly to my capture. If you should send anyone there, then don't expect them to come back." She crossed her arms and nodded her head slowly. "Besides, what good will attacking them do when victory isn't certain?"

"You raise some interesting tactical points," Aizen stated. "However, I find myself a bit skeptical."

"Is that because I'm a Yamashita?"

"That is part of the reason," he answered. "Perhaps you could give us some… sign of your loyalty." That strange feeling crept into her blood again, and she turned to Aizen with an arched brow. She felt safe showing the espada her back considering Aizen had just stopped one from killing her. Still, the mistrust churned within her and mingled with that indefatigable fear scurrying across her skin.

"I bowed to you when I came in. What more proof to you need?"

"I need to see proof that you have severed ties with your old life. Until then, I can't allow you to leave this room." She couldn't believe what she was hearing. A trace of defiance penetrated her emotional barrier, and she clenched her fist. As she tilted her head upwards, she felt the ring Byakuya had given her shift against her skin. The answer was clear enough for her, but would Aizen accept it? With a sigh, she withdrew her katana and placed it against her neck. Nearly half the table leapt up to stop her, but Aizen's reiatsu cautioned them not to move any further.

"Would killing myself at your command demonstrate my loyalty to you?" She delivered a purely solid look, her eyes fading to a faint silvery-violet. "If you ask it of me, I will die right here and now, and I will save you the trouble of sullying your blade. The question is, do you really need my help as much as you say you do?" For a long time, silence was the only thing that passed between them. Haru tried to read his eyes, digging for some sort of satisfaction, but she only found mild amusement.

"Give me your word, then, that your only loyalty is to me."

"I swear it on my pride."

"Then I withdraw my prior statement and give you my word that I will comply with your demands. However, I will not let you leave your room unattended. Grimmjow will be your escort." Haru saw a thousand expletives race through the teal eyes, but not one of them escaped. He only gave a begrudging word to indicate that he would follow the orders. "As for your zanpakutoh, I must ask that you leave it here."

"Nani?" she stammered, clutching her sword and peering at him defiantly.

"You said you were not a soldier. Therefore, I see no reason for you to carry a weapon." Haru could have easily argued the point, but she couldn't draw any more suspicion to herself. Begrudgingly, she pushed Suzaku back in its sheath and extended it. She felt no angst or agony as Aizen took it, but she did sigh in gratitude. Normally, Suzaku would have been unruly about being set into the hands of the enemy, so she was pleased at her sword's rare act of passivity. "Grimmjow will show you to your room. I will summon you when you are needed."

"Hai, Aizen-sama," she answered, bowing deeply before retrieving her violin case and her haori. She slipped the cross on her arm without anyone noticing, then stood and nodded to Grimmjow to let him know she was ready. "Matte."

"What?" he growled.

"Aizen-sama," she said, raising her voice. "I expect that you will take good care of that sword. If any harm comes to it, then you had better pray I don't live long enough to see you again." Knowing that the threat amused him, she let a ghost of a smile cross her face when she peered back for a moment. Then, she traipsed after Grimmjow in seemingly high spirits.

"Aizen-sama," Tousen stated once they were gone. "Are you sure it's wise giving in to her demands? What if she betrays you? I mean, the pretense she gave Soul Society was kidnap, so we can't really be sure of where her loyalty lies at this point."

"She won't betray me, not yet at least," Aizen stated. "The Yamashita clan prides themselves in keeping promises. Besides…" He raised the sword to his cohorts and examined it momentarily. "If she ever decides to go back on her word, I have the ultimate collateral."

The moment Haru arrived in her quarters, she knew immediately that she disliked them. Black walls, a black floor, and one window that provided her with a view of the desert, void of color and life. She set her violin case down on the bed and collapsed with a sigh. Then, she remembered she couldn't let Grimmjow leave just yet, not because she found any enjoyment in his presence, but because of her honor. As he was turning away to leave with that same distaste lingering in his eyes, Haru stretched out a hand and seized his sleeve. Infuriated, he whirled about with a feral growl that did nothing to deter her. She rose to her feet and stepped forward, pulling his sleeve up and studying his bloodied knuckles with an inscrutable look on her face.

"Your arm… it's still bothering you." Immediately, Grimmjow pulled away and began towards the door, but Haru appeared in front of him before he could take more than a handful of steps. "Listen, I don't like you, either, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm the cause of your injuries." He tried to move around her, but she immediately placed herself in front of him, a desperate look on her face.

"Move!" he snarled, raising a hand to strike her, but it never got farther than that. For some inexplicable reason, he couldn't hit her. Perhaps it was the expression on her face, or the pain flashing in her eyes. Perhaps it was the reason he hadn't crushed her throat earlier. Whatever the case, he could do nothing more but clench his fist and sit down on the edge of her bed, almost as if her eyes themselves possessed some form of authority. She dug in the sleeve of her haori and withdrew a roll of bandage. He glared down at her as she took his arm and pushed the sleeve up again, then tied a firm knot around his palm. Her motions while winding the bandage were steady and strangely gentle. "Why're you doing this?"

"Isn't this what allies do for each other?"

"I'm not your ally."

"The hell you aren't," Haru snapped, pulling the bandage tighter than she intended and causing a sharp pain to race up his arm. "What happened back there… I hadn't planned on it."

"Ch… things never go the way you plan them."

"Not really," she stated, smiling slightly. "After all, I've been planning this for a very long time, and I got here in one piece, didn't I? Besides, you had the chance to kill me and didn't. It's the least I can do." Grimmjow's arm tensed for a moment. So, he really was that transparent. She peered up at him for a moment, stopping as an undeniable smile flitted across her face. He couldn't help the incredulous look he gave her as she continued, her thoughts on something that was definitely far away from that dark place that she was too bright to fit into. Her motions stopped, and she carefully knotted the strip so the dressings would stay tight. Then, she rose to her feet and paced across the room. "The less you use that arm, the faster it will heal. As for your hand, I wouldn't recommend punching anymore walls for a while. If I frustrate you in any way, just say so, and I'll try to correct my behavior. Most people find my presence a little vexing; I don't take offense to it…"

"I don't really give a damn if you do or not," he retorted, getting up and pushing past her without so much as a backward glance.

"Grimmjow-san…"

"Shut the hell up," he snapped.

"Just let me say this one thing, and I'll do as you ask."

"If you don't shut up now, I'll kill you."

"Onegai…" Haru didn't flinch as he whirled around, nor did his gaze coax her to stir. A breath raced into her lungs when his fingers appeared around her throat, and though her body tensed, she didn't struggle to escape because they didn't apply enough pressure to affect her respiration. Her eyes spoke for her: she wouldn't be silenced. She wouldn't let death scare her into becoming a mute. No matter what he said or did, she would speak the words he loathed to hear. "I'm sorry." A sharp twitch raced through his fingers, yet not one ounce of fury drifted out of her gaze. "You had to suffer because of me."

"What do you care? You're a shinigami, and I'm an espada."

"That doesn't matter," Haru stated calmly. "I just hate knowing someone has endured pain in my stead. I only wish I were strong enough to bear it all on my own." She dared to reach a hand up and seize his wrist, and with the same gentle manner she had bandaged his arm, she coaxed him into withdrawing. "You don't have to forgive me. I just thought you should be aware of it is all." Haru bowed slightly and returned to the edge of the bed, throwing her violin case on it and rolling over to face the wall. With a contemptuous snort, he left the room, frustrated that she thought she could get away with saying things like that to him. Haru heard him slam the door, but he didn't lock it. She could explore later, after she got some rest. _Suzaku,_ she murmured.

_Hai, Haru-sama?_

_Do you know where you are?_

_I'm not sure yet. I think I'm in some kind of closet. It's dark, so I can't see much of anything._

_Do you think you can lead me there? _Haru waited for the answer and touched the metal band around her neck.

_I apologize, Haru-sama, but I can't really say._

_That's fine, _she answered. _I won't be making a move for a while yet… at least a week, maybe two. If you change locations or if anyone threatens you, then notify me at once._

_Hai, Haru-sama. _With a weary hand, Haru pulled the glasses off of her face and laid them on some kind of nightstand. She yanked the restraint out of her hair and tossed it, but she never noted the exact location. She simply rolled over and curled up again, closing her eyes so she couldn't feel the tears. Solitude pressed upon her like a stone, causing her back to throb and her heart to crumble. Haru clasped the ring, the only trace of Byakuya she felt she had, between her trembling hands. One breath struck them as she fought with sleep and tried to tempt it into a gilded cage. If she could sleep, then things wouldn't seem so terrible.

_Come to me in my dreams, Suzaku. We have much work to do._

_Hai, Haru-sama._ She felt the zanpakutoh's spirit well inside of her, and with it came a warmth that spread over her weary body. It was hard to hear, but she couldn't deny the melody that drifted into her ears and made her smile even as the tears escaped her eyes, the song that sounded so much like the one she had serenaded Byakuya with. She let herself be pulled into the memories and suddenly staggered into her own soul, spreading her arms to balance properly. Suzaku was sitting in her usual spot, gazing at Haru as she balanced on the water's surface and paced between the fragrant lotuses. Could she actually smell them? Haru inhaled and decided she could. The rain felt real on her skin and slid over its surfaces. It collected in her hair and saturated the nutmeg mass, then started dripping off its ends. With a smile, she whirled about as if to embrace it, tilting her palms upward and emitting a child-like laughter.

"Haru-sama, should you really be laughing?" Suzaku asked, drifting down from the branch and fluttering through the air. "Think of the situation you have put yourself in."

"I don't care," she stated as she whirled to a stop. The ends of her hair fell to her side, and her violet eyes delved into the azure ones of her zanpakutoh. "I don't care," she repeated, extending an arm for Suzaku to perch on. Her talons wrapped gently around her forearm, and Haru began to pace forward. "I may be trapped in Hueco Mundo, far away from everything I enjoy, but this… this is my escape. Not even Aizen can touch me here."

"Escape nothing," Suzaku retorted. "Your physical body is still…"

"That's irrelevant. I can suffer my waking hours so long as I can still come here." A moment of silence passed, and Haru peered at the bird, trying to communicate her need for a definite answer. "Su… Suzaku…"

"While I cannot deny you access to this place, I must warn you that if we aren't discrete, Aizen will find you out, and if you don't think there will be severe repercussions, then you had better think again."

"He can try," Haru answered, "but I doubt he'll forget just how useful I am to him." Haru could detect the worry in the phoenix's eyes, so to reassure her zanpakutoh, she smirked and whirled around on the water's surface. "I wouldn't have done this if I didn't think there was a way out. It will take some time to do all I need to do on this end, but once I have, you can bet that I'll be flying the coup, so to speak." Haru paused as a thought crossed her mind. "Neh, Suzaku."

"Hai?"

"Can you explain… why, all of a sudden, I feel that espada was holding back?"

"I don't understand."

"He could have killed me," Haru murmured, "if he had only put a little more effort into it. He doesn't seem like the type to be merciful, or to hold back." She sighed and pressed a hand against her head. "Maybe I'm just thinking too much about it." She smiled again and reached towards the sky, falling onto her back and landing against the water's surface, reclining upon it as if it were glass. Suzaku hovered over her, peering into her eyes. "Become a sword."

"Nani?"

"I can't swing you anywhere else but here, not until the day I leave." Haru extended a hand and relished the feeling of rain racing down it. "These hands will be busy doing other things while I'm awake, but when I dream, I want you to stay with me. I want you to teach me what you can about you. What's more, I want you to answer a question that has been bothering me."

"Question, hmm?" Suzaku flitted through the air and landed on Haru's outstretched fingers. As she did so, she transformed into her unreleased state, her tail feathers becoming the white ribbon hanging from the hilt. Haru stood and seized the sword out of the air. "Ask, and you shall receive an answer."

"Mizuhi is the initial form, which leads me to believe that it existed before the other three forms, yet I learned it last. Tell me why that was."

"Simple, Haru-sama. It was not fully developed yet."

"That makes no sense to me," she answered, raising the sword and balancing on the water's surface. A set of ripples spread out from her feet. "If it is the oldest form, then why did it come last?"

"You will learn in time," Suzaku stated. "I have answered your question. For now, I want to feel you swinging me."

"Hai," Haru murmured, raising the sword and shutting her eyes, wishing that she could dream forever.

With a groan, Haru stirred. A distinct pang of pain raced through her head and through her muscles. The reishi was beginning to faze her again, and not only that, but she was terribly uncomfortable. When she had drawn the violin case that near to her escaped memory. She remembered throwing it on the bed before she drifted off. Unfortunately, beyond that, things were cloudy. She opened her eyes and blinked against the darkness. Before she even moved, she paused. Through the haze of pain, she could detect someone standing in the doorway, someone watching her sleep. A pang of pain erupted on her back, and she bit her lip to retain a hiss. She couldn't ignore the steps as they came closer. She shut her eyes and ignored it, telling herself that no one would dare do anything to her, but her throbbing head drove them open again.

That was when she saw the glimpse of someone leaning over her. Without thinking, she rolled over and thrust a foot into the first surface it came into contact with. The figure struck the ground with a cough and slid across the marble. Immediately, Haru sat up, her eyes wild, the tears of pain lingering. She shook her head and wiped them away to get a better view of who she had assailed, and when a gradual recognition spread through her mind, she staggered up, keeping one eye closed, to kneel beside her victim. "Gomenasai," she stammered. "Daijobu desu ka?"

"Neh…" he retorted, rubbing his chest with a smile. "Ya've got quite the kick there, Haru-chan." She ignored the urge to correct him and instead wrapped a hand around his arm, pulling him into a sitting position before stumbling backwards and collapsing herself. Tilting her head back, she drew air into her lungs and sighed before leaning forward. She peered at him again, noting through her waking tears that he had a troubled look on his face. "Oi, ya don't look so good."

"Oh, don't worry about me. I just woke up, and I have a bit of a headache." Sighing, she rested a hand over her throbbing heart and examined the man a little more. His silver hair reminded her of companions she had left behind, but nothing she had ever seen compared to that snake-like smile. "Anyway, I should be worrying about you… ano… name, name… I should know this."

"Ichimaru Gin's the name."

"Souka… Gin-san, then, unless you prefer that I address you as a lord."

"Address me as ya like. It don't faze me at all."

"What a relief," she sighed, extending a hand. "I'm Yamashita Haru."

"I know," he answered, taking her hand and shaking it. "Aizen-sama's told me all about ya."

"Good things, I hope."

"Mostly, it's embarrassin' stories a' yer childhood."

"Splendid," she retorted, rubbing her head and tilting it. "You startled me. You should have woken me, then entered. Otherwise, I might not have kicked you. Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yare, yare… yer the one that needs ta quit worryin'." He patted her on the head, which brought a terribly close memory to her mind. Still, she didn't show that she saw someone else in his gesture. She simply let her own smile displace her pain.

"Ano… Gin-san, do you mind if I ask you why you're here? Does Aizen-sama wish to speak with me?"

"Nah… he jus' wanted me ta show ya somethin' if ya were up to it. He said he'd do it himself, but he's a busy man, and yer rightful escort's come down with a bout of some illness or other." In the midst of his explanation, Haru pressed a hand to her head and cringed, not because Grimmjow had fallen ill, but because she herself was ailing. "Neh, Haru-chan… ya really don't look so good."

"That probably means I'm adjusting," she sighed, pressing the back of her hand to her head and leaning aback. "I've always been very sensitive to reishi, and their concentration here exceeds Soul Society's by quite a bit. It should pass in a few days, a week at the most, so if I'm irritable or anything like that, I ask that you please disregard it and forgive me if you can." Haru shifted her position again and peered at the man, whose fascination seemed relatively similar to a child's fixation with fireworks. "Are you willing to give me a few moments, or is this something urgent?"

"Take yer time. It'd be a pity if ya got trapped in that bed a' yers. 'sides…" His voice trailed off as he leaned forward slightly and opened his eyes, two crimson slits that startled her into a state of stability. "Yer the type that would die if ya were caged." Something in his tone made her wish more than ever that Byakuya's face had greeted her. Still, she couldn't let that show in her expression, so she hid her troubles with a smile and unsteadily rose to her feet. "Don' push yerself."

"Gin-san, I am relatively familiar with the limitations of this frame. A walk won't do me any harm. In fact, it may help." Haru wrapped one hand around her violin and waited for Ichimaru to rise, but he remained seated, his eyes now closed, his expression virtually unchanged. "Is something the matter?"

"I just never woulda thought ya had all that hair under there…" Haru stepped back as he reached out to grab a lock of it. Suddenly, he reminded her more of Byakuya than she permitted.

"Go… gomenasai," she murmured, holding up her hands to show she meant no offense. "If it isn't too bold of me to say so, I prefer my space. Please don't let it offend you." He didn't look offended at all. Then again, his expression was the same as it was when he walked in, one constant, ambiguous smile. Haru noted that he was still studying her and immediately reached for her glasses, but Gin caught her wrist before she reached them. Though she was rather troubled by his gesture, she was thankful that he had not seized her left. Otherwise, he would have found a nasty surprise, the heirloom cross she always carried with her. "Ano, Gin-san…"

"You'll only be gone fer a bit, Haru-chan. Besides, nothin's gonna happen to 'em while yer gone…"

"Hai, demo…"

"Come on, come on…" Sighing heavily, she peered one last time at her glasses, then at the hair restraint on the floor by her nightstand. She had no choice but to let herself be dragged along, a willing captive that was truly unwilling. "'sides, ya shouldn't hide behind those things."

"But you always walk around with your eyes closed, don't you?"

"Yeah, mostly…"

"Then what's the difference?" she inquired, wishing more and more by the moment that she could find some strain of courage and yank her arm away. "Gin-san, I'm begging you…"

"Ya ain't got no reason to beg, Haru-chan." Nodding slightly, she gingerly tugged on her arm, finding that he released it surprisingly easy. "Now, why don't ya tell me what's on yer mind, neh?"

"On my mind?" she stammered.

"Yeah… ya seem so flighty. I thought so when ya walked in." Haru wrapped her right hand around her left bicep and stopped walking. She kept her gaze fixed at the ground, trying her best to act ashamed. Ichimaru, suddenly aware that he was the only one proceeding, turned back to find Haru just as she wanted to be found.

"They… don't exactly embrace my presence."

"They who?"

"Come on, Gin-san… you're an intelligent man. You know who." She peered up at him, her violet eyes flickering with genuine anxiety. "The room… was pretty thick with hatred. It doesn't help that your other companion is suspicious of me…"

"Oh, Tousen? Don' worry about him… he's suspicious of everyone but Aizen-sama."

"Demo…"

"I'm tellin' ya, don' let it worry ya." After receiving a nod, Ichimaru smiled slightly more, then turned to continue walking. "Ya comin', or do I have ta leave ya here?" His comment startled her out of her thoughts, and Haru raced after him, holding her violin case between both hands so he wouldn't be tempted to grab her again. "As fer the espada, they got orders not ta touch ya, and they're supposed to give their subordinates the same order."

"Nande?" Haru asked, hoping that her question would yield some answer, but it only yielded a glance from those crimson eyes.

"Lemme ask you somethin'," he answered slyly, shutting his eyes. "Why're ya always hidin' them eyes of yers?"

"Because they're odd," Haru answered, earning nothing more than a nonchalant chuckle. "I'm serious! When I was still alive, people made fun of me for them!"

"I can't believe humans would be that cruel."

"But you know they are," she answered darkly. "Some of them, at least…" Haru swore under her breath. She couldn't let herself grow nostalgic, not around him at least. She peered at his right shoulder to see if he had noticed anything, but he didn't seem to. He was still walking forward. Sighing quietly, Haru bowed her head again and wondered if her inquiry would be too bold. Still, she somehow knew that this strange man would forgive her if she spoke too audaciously. "Ano, Gin-san… can I ask you a personal question?"

"It ain't the kind that'll make me blush, is it?"

"Good heavens, no… such a question would be in pretty bad taste, don't you think?"

"That's true," he answered, his face suddenly turning contemplative. "Meh, what could it hurt?"

"Arigato," she murmured with a slight bow. "Ano… I was just curious… as to why you left Soul Society." Haru looked for a change in him, any change that demonstrated antipathy or loathing, but she found nothing. He didn't seem to resent her question, nor did he seem to resent the subject. "I mean, you were a captain, right? And I'm sure you had a vice captain who cared a lot for you, and friends who didn't want you to leave, so why… why would you give all that up?"

"'cause Aizen-sama's the only man I can stomach orders from," he answered simply.

"Do you ever miss it?"

"Yeah, sometimes," Ichimaru stated, scratching his pale hair. "It's kinda dark here, and I gotta ask myself how Izuru's doin'… but then again, I know he's doin' fine without me. Little things like that, though… they don' bother me a bit. I can't let 'em. Here's the only place I can show my true loyalty, and that's all that matters to me." He turned his head towards Haru and noted the contemplative look on her face. "And you?"

"I got fed up with the system," she muttered, bowing her head. "Lines, lines… everywhere lines, and I'm always trapped by them. I can't really ever be a shinigami because I'm half quincy, nor can I be a quincy because I'm half shinigami. The Yamashita clan disdains that half of my blood comes from a commoner, and an ex-captain of the Gotei 13 no less. I was becoming trapped by all of that, so I figured that if I came here, then maybe, just maybe, I could surpass all those boundaries." She paused and glanced up at Ichimaru, who seemed rather intent to simply study her. "Things were going smoothly at the time, but I foresaw the difficulties that would arise from me treading all these lines if I remained. At some point, I stumbled across what at the time was a disturbing thought: Aizen-sama has the power to do anything. He stole the hougyoku, he ascended to heaven with two of his most trusted allies, he created an army of hollow-shinigami hybrids with amazing strength. Breaking boundaries is something Soul Society is incapable of doing. I wanted to follow a man who had the power to see past lines, even if that meant creating new ones. That was the kind of man I wanted to follow."

"Yare, yare," he sighed, shaking his head as they made another turn. "Ya sure are some kinda smart."

"Arigato… I think." Haru staggered as her head throbbed, but she quickly regained her balance. Ichimaru must have opened a door at some point, because she found herself being ushered into what she thought was a room. It took her a moment to realize that the light was blinding, that it required her to shield her eyes with her sleeve and shut them, that her head reeled because the light she felt and the sky over her head were false, but her eyes claimed them authentic when they finally adjusted to the deceptive light. Puzzled, she peered up at the azure sky, not black with night but full of color. An army of counterfeit clouds marched languidly across the sky, and in the sky hung a sun that was just as splendid as the real thing. Haru forgot that she wasn't alone for a moment and took a few running steps. She felt the sand shift under her feet as she whirled around, taking in every sight she could lay her eyes on until her headache and the motion made her dizzy. She dropped into the sand, perceiving for the first time her delighted laughter, the sham that kept her from crying for a savior.

"Ya ain't hurt, are ya?" A shadow appeared over her, and she peered up, holding the violin case close to her as the crimson eyes cracked slightly. Even that expression couldn't drive her delight away.

"Iie," she answered with a smile. "I'm just happy to see the light of day, even if it isn't real."

"Not real?" Ichimaru inquired.

"It comes close," Haru continued, tilting one palm upwards, "but there's still something missing, something I can't put into words…"

"Yer pretty observant, Haru-chan," he stated, sitting beside her and tipping his head towards the sky. "Aizen-sama built this place and swore it wasn't perfect. Tousen said it was almost convincing."

"And what about you, Gin-san? What do you think is missing?" Haru peered at him, wearing a mask of eagerness that his closed eyes could never penetrate.

"Hmm… if I had ta say…" Ichimaru paused and tipped his head, appearing almost like a naïve child. "There ain't no warmth in that sun."

"Really? It feels warm enough to me," Haru answered, tilting her palm up again.

"There are kinds of heat, Haru-chan. Not all of 'em'll burn ya." His comment caused her smile to fade and her expression to grow curious. He seemed to be amused at her concern. "Ain't nothin' fer ya to worry about."

"Hai," she answered, nodding her head slightly.

"So, why're ya carryin' that thing around, hmm?"

"That isn't a thing, Gin-san. It is an heirloom violin."

"Violin, eh? I ain't heard one of those in a long time. I always thought it pretty melancholy…"

"Otousan used to say that the loneliest sound in the whole world was the sound of a single violin string," Haru stated, setting the case down in her lap and opening it. She peered at the instrument, let one finger wander along the string, then drew away as her head throbbed violently.

"Why don't ya play somethin'?"

"Oh, I couldn't," she muttered. "I'm afraid my music is not yet worthy of an audience."

"Nonsense. It's only me."

"That may be so, Gin-san, but I barely know you…"

"Then consider it an exercise in buildin' trust." Haru's hand flinched as the word drifted through the air. Trust? With someone on Aizen's side? The very thought was appalling to her every sense, and to build trust with something so sacred as her father's violin—yes, her father, who had been brutally murdered before her very eyes by the man Ichimaru pledged his loyalty to in the simplest of terms—it was utterly impossible to stomach. Still, as she peered at the polished wooden instrument, she saw a side of herself she had long loathed. Her reflection twisted and aged until it was that of her deceitful grandfather, and despite the hatred that bubbled and burned inside of her, Haru's expression remained the same. She pulled the instrument free, removing the bow as well, and when she set it to the strings, reality seemed to melt away. At that point, she had no idea whether she was dreaming some horrible nightmare or if she was truly awake and living it. Regardless of where she truly was, her mind was with those she had left behind, wondering whether or not they were thriving or declining in her absence.

"Kuchiki-taichou, I'm heading out." Byakuya gave a noise that signified he understood, but Takumi had his doubts as to whether or not the significance of that phrase actually reached his mind. He paused and the door and glanced back to the captain, who appeared so composed that he had doubts about what he was truly seeing. With a steady hand, he reached up and covered his eye patch, letting a sigh escape him before he could stop it. Suddenly, he turned back and closed the door, peering critically at the captain for a moment. On the outside, he was the same man he had always been, as far as Takumi was concerned. Pompous, arrogant, a holier-than-thou air drifting about him, composed behind rock solid stoicness… too bad it was all a façade. "Ano… Kuchiki-taichou…"

"I thought you were leaving." So, the words had gotten through to him. Takumi closed his fist and walked forward, cursing the fact that he felt obligated to do anything for the captain. "I've let you back into my division, and as my seventh seat no less. What more do you want from me?"

"You just look dead," he stated flatly, throwing his gaze to the floor. It was too soon to mention Haru, so he lifted his eye and added, "You've been at a funeral ever since you came back, but nobody has died that I'm aware of."

"I don't believe my mood is any of your business, Fujiwara. Now, leave before you are late to your other job." Takumi loathed the Kuchiki's attitude, but more than anything, he loathed the fact that his tongue was bound by a promise that he would remain silent. He was so close to telling Byakuya everything, but Haru's voice chided him in the back of his mind, and his words crumbled to dust before he could articulate them.

"Just be careful not to overwork yourself. Your sister wouldn't appreciate it. Trust me, I know… I've got one, and unlike you, I have to listen to mine when she nags because she's the oldest." Byakuya's hand stopped moving, and he peered up at Takumi with an arched brow. "At least yours is polite about it… if she even says anything. Mari-onee… she'll chew me up one wall and down the other if I don't take care of myself. Hell, I almost didn't make it to work today, if you know what I mean." Takumi pointed to his eye patch and smiled slightly, then proceeded towards the door. "Since she's not here to say it, then I will: take care of yourself. This division's no good without a captain."

Leaving Byakuya with those words was rather gratifying, even though he felt empty as he paced along the streets of seireitei towards the fifth division mess hall. _I'm still not sure why I'm willing to put myself through all this trouble. Working for two divisions is going to be a pain in the ass… that's without considering my current bosses. _Takumi sighed and rubbed his head. Perhaps he did know why he was willing to go through so much trouble. She was the only reason he made such sacrifices, the only way he could ever strive for anything without feeling hindered by his sight, or lack thereof. If it was for her, then he could swallow Haru's orders and deal with Byakuya's unpleasant attitude.

Once he threw the door of the mess hall open, he mumbled a greeting to the shinigami there, who objected verbally to his unannounced presence, and immediately paced over to where Hinamori was sitting. She seemed to be in some sort of daze, even after he plopped down and leaned against his hand. He couldn't help but smile as he studied her for a moment, yet seeing the sorrow in her eyes, he couldn't last long. Takumi passed a hand over her gaze, which made her jolt and blink. She immediately glanced to Takumi, who shut his eye with an exasperated sigh, then looked to the handful of shinigami behind him.

"Hinamori-fukutaichou, would you like us to throw him out?"

"Nani? Don't you know I work for her now?'

"That's preposterous," another one retorted, laying a hand on the shoulder of his uniform. "You only had it good with the sixth division because you had ties to the higher-ups."

"If you think you can come in here and sully our division's good name…"

"Good name?" he retorted with a scoff. "Apparently, you haven't heard this before, but your captain betrayed you and your vice captain, who just came out of a coma, is still technically on medical leave, which leads me to ask you why you're here, Momo." She opened her mouth to answer, but immediately dropped her gaze. "Face it. You guys are just about as disorganized as you can get. You ought to be happy I'm willing to sacrifice some of my time just to help you." Takumi's hand moved to catch the punch he seemed to know would be thrown. Slowly, he turned around, conveying a silent warning with his one good eye. Unsettled, his assailants were forced to retreat, leaving in their wake an unsettling silence that swept over the entire mess hall. He returned to his original state, leaning one side of his face against his hand and propping his elbow on the table. Slowly, the dialogue bubbled up again until he was immersed in a sea of chatter. "Neh, Momo… why're you here?"

"I was… getting some air."

"You haven't been well since yesterday." He knew his words, hurt, so he cleared his throat and bowed his head slightly. "You could get some air anywhere, but you chose here. Is there any reason?"

"I needed to see this place again." Takumi nodded slowly in understanding and peered out the window. "Things… sure have changed… since I was last here."

"There is no helping that."

"I know, but still…" She bit off her words and sank to the table's surface, cradling her head in her arms.

"But change is much less noticeable when you're immersed in it. Now, you only feel isolated from this, and from everything around you." Dolefully, she peered up at him. "Am I wrong, Momo?"

"Iie."

"Well, that's a relief. At least I can still see that much," he stated, smiling slightly.

"Why are you like that?"

"Like what?" She dropped her head into her folded arms again, but she kept speaking, almost as if her words were meant for the table rather than him.

"You're always making light of the situation, even when there's nothing to make light of." Takumi blinked, then dropped his gaze to his hands. He flexed his fingers and relished the feeling of the movement being purely his own. As he took in a breath, he detected the scent of food and tea on the air. If he listened hard enough, he could hear his own heart beating slowly, almost hesitantly. Hinamori glanced up at him, finding that his eyes were closed and that he had focused his attention inward. "Nande? Why are you always like that? Are you really that naïve? You could have died…"

"Now you're starting to sound like my sister," he stated, leaning against his palm and peering into a corner. "And to think if I had, then you would be almost entirely alone."

"I have friends, you know," she said hotly.

"But they have their own problems. You don't want to burden them." She said nothing, mainly because she knew he was right. Once the azure eye fixed on her again, Hinamori lifted her head and glimpsed her haggard reflection in its clear surface. "If Haru were here, you would share these problems with her… then again, perhaps not. You're still a little hesitant, and understandably so, considering what happened to your last captain…" His voice trailed off, almost as if he wanted to recall the words, but it was too late. They were already said, and they met Hinamori's embittered expression with enough force to coax her hands into fists. Still, she was far from tears; Takumi could relish that fact and store it away for the troubled times ahead. "I'm not sure how you can live the way you do, but I have to see some good in life, no matter what the circumstance."

"It's impossible."

"Nothing is impossible," he stated with a slight click of his tongue. "Think about it. If I had died, then who would you be talking to right now?"

"Someone with more sense than you." Takumi stared at her for a moment, then rose without a word and began towards the exit. He touched her shoulder as he passed, drawing her offended eyes to his.

"Momo," he said quietly, "life is still good. You just have to look for that good." Satisfied that he had fulfilled his duty well, he bowed his good-bye and headed towards the exit with no particular destination in mind. Somewhere high and secluded, preferably, so he could actually think straight. As he paced away, however, he gradually became aware that he wouldn't get his solitude after all. He glanced over his shoulder before folding his hands behind his head and continuing to march forward. Apparently, he hadn't conveyed the message properly with just a glance. Takumi let a slight growl of irritation escape him before he whirled around and prepared to bark his way out of her company, but he thought better of it when he saw the way she was looking at him. Choked by her determined yet pitiful expression, he coughed behind his hand and cleared his throat. "Is there any particular reason you're following me?"

"Now that taichou is gone, someone has to keep an eye on you."

"And that someone shouldn't be you," he answered. "If you overdo it, they'll put you back in the infirmary. Besides, I can take care of myself. I don't need you to watch after me." Takumi turned away with a huff, but he felt something catch his sleeve and prevent him from walking forward. With a difficult sigh, he glanced back to see that the determination was still there, but her purpose was greatly altered.

"You said we would move forward together."

"I told you to forget that." Takumi tried to pull away, but her grip, gentle as it was, held him in place and caused a troubled look to spread over his face. Sighing heavily, he spread his other hand across his eye and turned to her, peering through his fingers. "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to be straight with me."

"About what?" The irritation laced through his voice made her hesitate, but after having lost so much due to her hesitation, due to her mindless obedience, she swallowed and grasped his sleeve even tighter.

"Are we in this together or not?"

"Why would you want to be?"

"Didn't I tell you before? I know you're someone I can depend on."

"Then you had better think again." He could easily say words like that at the moment because she wasn't crying, and her eyes shone brightly with resilience against any onslaught of tears. "The only thing you can depend on in this world is that things will change. Time will prove me unreliable, and you'll grow to hate the fact you said anything at all. You, like everyone else, will grow to despise me in ways so subtle that sometimes I will imagine the end of hatred."

"You always talk like that, like you're certain of things that haven't even happened yet." Takumi's eye narrowed, and he turned away again, this time pulling his sleeve free. He couldn't let himself get attached to anyone. After all, it would only end in another fall back into the abysmal pit of solitude that had for so long consumed his life. _Things are better this way. At least then, I get some peace of mind. I don't have to worry about hurting anyone or being hurt by anyone. I don't have to worry about feelings or emotions or anything like that. I can just stay wrapped in this cocoon so I don't wind up regretting it later. I can watch her from a distance. That way, at least, I'm not neglecting my duty… _The very moment he felt safe, he felt himself pulled backwards again, this time much more roughly than before. His eye widened as his back collided with a wall dividing two streets. He found himself looking an infuriated Hinamori, who pinned him to the wall by his shoulders and left him no opportunity to escape. Since he loathed the feeling he got when he looked at her, Takumi immediately threw his eye to something else. He felt her grip tighten for a moment, then loosen and slip away entirely. "I just don't get you."

With a scoff, he turned his head and pretended to be interested in something on the ground. "There's nothing more to get, the way I see it." If those words didn't drive her off, then he resolved to take physical action. What he craved more than anything at the moment was solitude, and for once, he could make sure he got what he wanted. Takumi peered briefly at her, not even bothering to process her exact reaction, and paced down the street at a sluggish pace. Happily, there were no steps following him. Once he turned the corner, his head reeled with relief, and he sank against a wall, holding his head as he had before. _Kuso, _he thought, shutting his eye and trying to ignore the pitfall in his stomach. _I'm an idiot. This is unarguably for the best. Still, it doesn't make it any easier for me to sleep at night. _With a determined grunt, he pushed himself away from the wall only to stagger against it again. This time, he sank down fully, holding his hand over his face as things began blurring together: colors and sounds amalgamated into one unpleasant concoction of half-consciousness that ended in a sudden rush of ebony.

When things became distinguishable again, he found he was inside himself, standing at the pinnacle of the rock he had been bound to. Below him, the water was aflame, and near him, peering at him with one critical eye, was none other than his zanpakutoh's avatar form. "What am… I doing here? And why are you still a cat?"

"Baka," stated the zanpakutoh, rising and flicking its tail. "I brought you here because you're an idiot."

"Couldn't you have left me conscious, at least?"

"That was not an option." The demon turned towards him, flicking its tail as it strode across the rock and peered over the edge at the water. "There is something I need you to see."

"You can't just force me to use my power any time you want me to! Besides, if I use it while I'm in this condition, I…"

"I reiterate my prior statement that you are an idiot," the demon stated, turning one crimson eye over its shoulder. "The thing I want you to see is not something you need your eyes for."

"Can't you just tell me?"

"Maybe she could have." He peered over the edge of the rock again, down towards the pale waters, then motioned to Takumi to join him. Having no other choice, he obeyed and staggered forward, seating himself and peering down into the lake. "I find your lack of consistency troubling."

"Nani?"

"You heard me," the demon retorted, slumping its shoulders slightly. "The words you speak when you're in a frenzy of emotions and the words you speak when you are calmer have no consistency whatsoever. If you keep this up, they will start causing trouble for other people, people like your captain."

"What does she have to do with any of this?"

"You saw her last night in your dream, didn't you?" Akumashoku raised his head, his red eye burning in the darkness. Takumi couldn't stand the image and immediately turned away. "That she can smile even in a place like that, even if the smile is false… does that not convince you of her strength?"

"You were the one that needed convincing. That was the only reason I looked."

"And you are troubled at the depth and magnitude of her kindness. You despise the fact that she helped the one who took your eye." Takumi clenched a fist and tried to suppress a glare. The pale flames dancing on the water below him suddenly burned a bit brighter. "But more than anything, you are ashamed that you swore your allegiance to someone so… indiscriminate."

"I'm not ashamed of anything but the lie," he stated firmly, peering at his zanpakutoh. "Every time I look at Momo, I have this urge to tell her everything because I know this lie hurts her more than almost anything else, but I can't say a word. I promised taichou I wouldn't, and I have no reason to break that promise. If anything, it could only jeopardize her mission further."

"Does it bother you that that girl is in pain because of the lie you told?" Takumi glared again and swiftly looked away. "Don't get angry if I misunderstand you. I'm new to this; we both are."

"I don't care about her pain, not one bit." His zanpakutoh flicked its tail again and exhaled, dropping its head and twitching its ears. "She complicates things too much, and I'm the kind of person who likes to keep things simple. I'll just eliminate anything that goes against that. It's the way I've always lived."

"The way you've always lived," Akumashoku echoed, rising and staring straight into Takumi's eye. "Didn't you decide to change that two days ago?"

"This is completely different."

"Iie… it's not so different," the demon said, pacing in a small circle, always turning his head to view his wielder. "You said you would let me get closer to you, but that isn't sufficient for me. I was the victim of loneliness for some time. If your decision to befriend me makes you a victim of the same force, then I want nothing more to do with you, Fujiwara Takumi." One azure eye flickered in the darkness, startled, surprised, and afraid. Suddenly, he felt the heat of the charcoal lines spreading slowly across his body. As they did so, a similar pattern worked itself across the shadowy body of Akumashoku, only these lines were white, and they severed the darkness. "Do not worry… I will not abandon you. That is something I can never do because we are forever bound by the chains of fate."

"What do you want from me?"

"Simple enough. I want you to live."

"But I already am living!" The zanpakutoh scoffed and began pacing away.

"You call this pitiful existence living, boy? You have much to learn. Now, open your eyes… that's right, your eyes, Takumi, and see the light that you've been blind to…"

_So dark…_ Haru thought, sinking deeper into her bath. Now that she was relieved of Ichimaru's presence, she felt the need to wash at least some of the sand off of her skin. Her eyes barely hovered above the water, peering through a curtain of steam. Around her, the ends of her hair brushed her shoulders and fell against her back. _So cold…_ Finally, she sunk completely under in an effort to recover some of that warmth, but the sound of someone knocking made its way to her ears, and she immediately surfaced. "H… hai! Who's there?" Since there wasn't an answer, she took the liberty of adding, "I'm in the bath! I'll be out in a moment!"

For some reason, the water in Hueco Mundo made her feel no cleaner than the sand had. She hastily dried herself off and pulled on the clothes that had been left for her. She loathed the trapped feeling of the sleeves but took some relief in the fact that someone had offered her something similar to the traditional shinigami uniform. After tying the crimson belt, she pulled on the haori and slipped her feet into the restrictive boots, flat-souled and fashioned after those the espada wore. She emerged a moment later, looking somewhat irritated and somewhat curious, but her expression immediately went blank when she saw who it was. "A… Aizen-sama…" He peered at her for a moment, then smiled.

"They suit you well, Haru."

"Wh… what are you doing here?" she stammered.

"I was hoping to share a lunch with you, since you clearly haven't eaten much." A snarl from Haru's stomach interrupted him, and she immediately wrapped her arms around it. "Gin told me you were feeling a bit under the weather, so rather than having you come to me, I thought it might be more convenient if I came to you."

"Since when did a headache become the black plague?" she demanded. "It's not like it will kill me."

"Still, the fact that you're in pain at all troubles me." Haru collapsed on the side of the bed and reached for her glasses, but just as before, her hand was seized by that of her company. An unpleasant buzz worked its way through her veins and across her back. She tried to leer, but she was too startled to conjure up something potent enough to drive her away. He was so close that his reiatsu nearly choked her. "Perhaps some food will help your condition."

"This headache isn't something food can help," she retorted, pulling her arm away and rubbing her wrist. As she expected, her loathing for him was something that was far beyond her control. "I… it's nothing. I'll get over it in a few days. I only need some time."

"Still, you should eat. You need to keep up your strength." Haru shut her eyes and bowed her head, wishing everything around her away, but his presence never disappeared, nor did it retreat, no matter how hard she wished. Within her stirred a mixture of loathing and distrust. And the place he had touched her… it almost burned with the loathsome memory. After all, whatever he fed her would probably be laced with something that would make her a more willing captive. Slowly, she peered up at him to see that he was still standing over her, looking strangely satisfied despite her expression. Glancing at her hand, she realized it had curled into a fist, and she immediately relaxed it.

"Moushiwake arimasen… I just don't like people being close."

"I understand perfectly well," he answered in a tone that caused the traces of anxiety to race through her veins. "Tell me why you really came here, Haru."

"You already know."

"Perhaps I do, but my thoughts and your words are very incongruent."

"You're thinking too hard about this," Haru insisted, rising and moving past him, but the hand clamped down on her wrist again, causing her mind to buzz with revulsion and her skin to get that same chilling burn. Even if there was fabric between him and her, it didn't change the fact that she hated his… dare she call it eagerness? She glanced back at him, this time letting him see the leer, but he seemed more intrigued than ever. Slowly, he pushed her sleeve up and twisted her towards him, holding her wrist above his head. Despite the predicament she had just been thrown into, her face remained calm. At first, she looked only at the floor, but after some time, she had no choice but to peer from the cross on her wrist to the man who held it.

"Well, well… what have we here?"

"Perhaps if you let me go, we can discuss this over lunch… that is, if this plan is agreeable to you, Aizen-sama." With a ghastly smile, he lowered his arm, but he didn't let go of her. That anxiety began working over her again when, without letting her go, he began walking forward. "Chotto matte, kudsasai! At least let me go first!"

"I need to make sure you won't run."

"Oh, come on! If eating is all you want me to do, then why would I be running?" Haru dug her heels into the ground but found that her new footwear did virtually nothing to slow her down. "Aizen-sama, onegai… just let me go…"

"Iie," he murmured. "Now that I have you here, I'll never let you go." For a moment, Haru thought he was speaking to someone else, someone distant and long gone, and no matter how far he dragged her, she couldn't shake the feeling.

_Something is going on… something deeper than I think… but what? _Haru blinked as they rounded the first corner, then peered to Grimmjow as they passed. He bowed briefly as Aizen walked by, then raised his head and peered to Haru. Hesitantly, she stretched a hand out to him; she wasn't sure why. Perhaps she thought he could save her. He only gave her a strange look and turned away. _Grimmjow-san… he knows something… _Haru glared at the stone under her feet and finally let herself be led. The room was empty with the exception of a table. In fact, she recognized it as the room they had first met in. Aizen pulled her towards a chair and finally released his wrist, pulling it out so she could sit down. Haru never let her guard down, not even as she felt herself pushed gently forward. Aizen rounded the table and sat down opposite her, leaning to one side as she hastily rolled her sleeve down and peered from the food to him. _That look in his eyes… I don't trust it._

"Eat," he commanded. Nodding hastily, she lifted the chopsticks with her left hand and took a bite of whatever he had set in front of her. After having skipped three or four meals, she honestly found the taste savory. Still, it was difficult to eat with him watching her every move with that same satisfied look plastered on her face.

"Do you see something interesting?" she inquired at last, her voice a little hesitant. He only laughed darkly and began eating his own meal.

"You're left-handed," he stated, pointing to her chopsticks with his own. Relieved that that was all it was, she smiled and laughed uneasily. Then, she resumed eating. "Proceed to explain yourself at your earliest convenience, but you will not leave this room until I am satisfied." Haru nearly choked on her tea, not only at the sound of his voice but at the fact that it was somewhat bitter. She immediately reached for some sugar and stirred a spoonful in.

_That's right, _she thought as she stirred it. _He prefers black tea… I should have remembered that from childhood. _Slowly, she lifted her cup again and sipped it, letting her eyes drift shut so she could fully analyze the flavor. The sugar improved the flavor enough to make it edible, but she still longed for a good cup of green tea, which she was guaranteed not to get as long as she stayed there. If she kept her eyes closed long enough, it almost tasted like green tea, though. After getting as close as she could to transforming the flavor with one she preferred from memory, she set her cup down and folded her hands. "Do you recognize the cross I wear?"

"Iie."

"You should," she answered, pausing to chew a bite of rice. "It was my father's." Aizen's movements ceased immediately, and he peered at her. If he was looking for a trace of that hatred she had shown earlier, then he wouldn't find it, not unless he somehow got beneath her placid smile and beyond her inner void. Calm violet orbs peered at him as she turned the cup and traced its delicate handle with her index finger. "Neh, Aizen-sama… if you will permit me, I would like to ask you something before I begin my explanation."

"Of course. Carry on."

"What purpose did killing my parents serve?" Haru imagined that he was a bit surprised at how calmly she posed the question, but no trace of it slipped through his bemused mask. "I've thought the matter over… ever since the last time I saw you. When it first happened, I thought about it constantly, but for a while, I forgot about it altogether. I was miserable but alive; I had no reason to consider your reasons. Still, periodically, the question slips into my mind, and I'll ruminate on the matter for an hour or two before finally relinquishing my thoughts. I feel like I won't be able to forget until I know the answer, and the only person who can give me that now is you." Haru peered at him, her eyes subtly desperate. "Did you even have a reason, or did you just want them dead?"

"They were in the way."

"As I thought," she responded, filling her mouth with food and chewing it. When she swallowed, she resumed her conversation. "The reason I wear it, then, is to remind myself of your reason. This cross, like your murder of my parents, has no meaning, but the heritage that gave me that cross… it is something that stands in my way."

"How so?"

"Please don't play clueless," she retorted. "You know perfectly well what I mean." Haru sipped her tea again and tried to ignore the bitter aftertaste. She stirred some more sugar into it and then continued eating. "Being a noble is troublesome. If I had continued on as I was, then I could never break free of the family that seeks to control me, nor could I truly be free from the system that sought to control me. My only freedom lies here in Hueco Mundo. Here, at least, my heritage means nothing, and my status as a shinigami becomes nothing insomuch as it is nullified by my willing absence."

"Yet you did not overtly betray Soul Society."

"A false spring tempts the flower to bloom. True winter chills its life away."

"Are you saying that false hope is a deadly force?"

"Precisely," Haru answered, sipping her tea and then proceeding to chew the final bite of her meal. "This false hope will play into your favor. Just be patient and give it time. No man, not even you, can topple an empire in a day."

"I find some wisdom in your words, Haru." Her head reeled at the sound of her name, but she kept on a mask of contentment, at least for the moment being. "I will consider them."

"Arigato-gozaimasu, Aizen-sama." As she rose to bow, her head whirled so violently that she thought her balance would surely give, but it remained steady. "And also, thank you for the food. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but if you are satisfied now, I think I would like to lie down and maybe get rid of this pesky headache."

"Take these, then," Aizen stated, producing two pills towards her. Haru looked at them dubiously, but she couldn't very well refuse, knowing full well that he was already becoming suspicious. She opened her hand to receive the medicine and downed the two round, white capsules with the rest of her tea. "They should help."

"Honestly, you shouldn't waste your time looking out for me. Besides, I can take care of myself. I've done it all these years, haven't I?" Smiling, she tilted her head sideways and walked past Aizen, who seemed satisfied with her answers and willing to let her go. "Oh, by the way," she called, pushing the door open and turning briefly back to him. "I'm not left-handed." Deciding that it was best to keep him curious, she shut the door behind her and immediately flashed far away enough from the room to calm her nerves. Her head whirled sharply, and she sank to the ground with a miserable groan. _The sugar… _she thought as her vision blurred. _It was… the sugar. And those white pills… heaven only knows what they'll do to me. _Haru put her head between her knees in the hopes that doing so would at least alleviate some of her dizziness. _Kuso… I have to keep my wits about me. _Slowly, she got to her feet and staggered against the wall. She didn't fall, though. It was a painstaking process to walk, and with each step she took, she felt more and more like forgetting her struggle, laying down, and letting fate take its course, but Aizen's strange mannerisms drove her onward.

_Iie_, she told herself as she staggered. _I… can't be done yet, not when… not when I promised… not when… not when I left him behind like that. _Haru touched the ring beneath her clothes and took one more step forward. _Byakuya-sama... _His face flashed before her eyes and gave her a bit of strength. With one step, she had expelled it. _Ishi-nii… _Again, she saw a glimpse of his face, just enough of one to allow her one more step. _Takumi… _she thought as the ground gave way before her feet and she fell into her inner abyss. _Tasukete… kudasai…_

The colors of a world outside came back in a whirl. With a strained gasp, he sat bolt upright, throwing his gaze around the room. He heard himself panting, heard a familiar voice telling him to calm down. When a pair of hands tried to push his shoulders down, he struggled to remain sitting up. He placed one hand on his caretaker, one heavy hand on his shoulder, and struggled to remain upright. "I have to get her back," he gasped. "I have to get her back…"

"Takumi, what are you talking about?"

"I… have to…" A white-hot pain drew another gasp from his lungs, and he collapsed, trembling with the effort it even took to speak. He heard something fluid fall, then felt something cool spread across his gaze, something that partly blocked the light. He let it be for a few moments, then removed it to study whoever it was sitting next to him. Blinking, he raised his hand and saw the gray web of lines spread across them. With a sigh, he let his arm fall and allowed his companion to readjust the cloth. "Ha… Hajime…"

"Take it easy," he stated calmly.

"Demo…"

"Come on, don't argue with me." Hajime looked to the water's surface, then peered critically back at Takumi, who finally seemed to be calming down. As he released a great sigh, the lines on his skin receded, and his breathing stilled for a considerable time before he lifted the cloth away from his eyes again. He saw the startled look on Hajime's face, then raised a hand again, waving it slowly in front of the left side of his face. Sure enough, he wasn't wearing the eye patch, but even more remarkably, he could see it perfectly well. With a nervous laugh, he covered the left side of his face.

"Don't tell anyone, alright?"

"Nani?" he demanded, lunging forward to stop Takumi as he sat up. Startled, he let his hand drop and peered at Hajime with both eyes. He felt the jolt his friend's hand gave, then watched as Hajime bowed his head.

"You aren't afraid?"

"A little taken aback," he admitted with a smile, "but I've known you for so long… it doesn't surprise me. Still, Mari-san said you lost that eye…"

"I did," Takumi answered, reaching for his eye patch. "I just happened to get it back along the way."

"It's different."

"I know… hence, the eye patch." He hastily tied the strings and peered up at his friend. "How did I get here?"

"One of my patients mentioned you had been acting odd, so I came to check on you. I found you passed out somewhere in the southwest district, and since you were far beyond recuperation at that moment, I brought you back here." Hajime paused, then tilted his head towards the ceiling while Takumi's visible eye roamed the room.

"This is…"

"This is where I live," he stated. "It used to be Shimori's house, but it turns out no one else wanted it."

"It's a little… lived-in."

"I haven't been home much lately," Hajime answered, glancing up at Takumi. "I don't know what the hell you've gotten yourself into, but you had better get yourself out of it. Passing out because you're dehydrated, because you haven't eaten, because you've barely slept a wink… honestly…"

"It isn't what I've gotten myself into that worries me." Takumi left his words hanging cryptically in the air as he peered out the window.

"That eye…" Hajime murmured. "It belonged to Akumashoku, didn't it?" Takumi nodded slowly, avoiding Hajime's gaze. "How… why… I thought he was taking over you again. That's the whole reason I rushed you here… but that can't be right. In the midst of it all, those bonds you share with him… they started glowing."

"Glowing?"

"Hai," Hajime stated.

"Then I guess that settles things." Stretching, Takumi fell backwards onto the futon and peered at the ceiling.

"Can't you tell me straight out what's going on? And what's this power of yours? I've never heard you mention it before. Oi, Takumi!"

"Keep it down. I'm listening," he retorted, letting his eye drift shut. Takumi debated for a moment on how much he could tell his companion. _Hell, half the stuff he just told me, I haven't even told onee-chan. Still… if he's smart enough to figure it out, then what's the harm? It's like you said, Akumashoku, to be alone is to suffer. _Takumi's azure eye suddenly shot open, causing Hajime to jolt a bit as he sat up again.

"Fine, then," he stated. "I'll tell you everything, Hajime, everything I kept silent all those years at the academy…" He peered at Hajime, who appeared troubled but willing to listen despite having seen what he hid. "You took care of me like this back then, too… never asked a question after I told you not to mess with it." He couldn't help but sigh at the nostalgia, and at the realization that what he was about to do would probably alter their friendship, though for better or worse remained to be seen. After he shoved his hesitance aside, he began, but he couldn't shake the feeling, the unshakable certainty, that someone, somewhere, had called out to him.

* * *

It is finished! Well, the chapter is. Thank you so much for reading! I hope that the wait was well worth it. ^^ Let's close out this chapter with a Japanese lesson. I'm off to edit the next one, hence my short closing note. Until next chapter, my lovely loyal readers! Thank you so much for sticking around despite my long absense. I owe you guys at least another chapter this week, so I'll work hard to get it out as soon as possible. Again, you are all lovely. Buckets of gratitude to you all!

Ano: Japanese equivalent of "um"

Gomen: Regular apology

Iie: No

Nani: What

Moushiwake Arimasen: Formal apology

Hai: Yes

Onegai: Please

Gomenasai: Semi-formal apology

Daijobu desu ka: Are you alright?

Souka: I see

Nande: Why

Kuso: Japanese swear word. I should start collecting these simply for the fun of it. ^^

Baka: Idiot.

Chotto matte, kudasai: Please wait a minute

Arigato-gozaimasu: Formal thanks

Tasukete kudasai: Please help me


	21. Chapter 21: Harmony

A/N: A Super-Productive Sunday… checklist.

Baked bread: Check.

Went over the page limit on both ginormous papers I need to write: Check.

Spent 2 glorious hours in the eighty-degree weather, sitting under a tree on a small hill with a British novel, the wind, and (momentarily) a squirrel: Check.

Ate a ginormous dinner with a friend I haven't seen in two months: Check.

Updated the fanfic… SHIT.

But I did remember, and here I am, loyally updating despite the late hour and the early onset of a carb coma (because, you know, we had Italian… and I ate enough pasta and bread to do the trick, but then I HAD to have tiramisu, too… I shall sleep like the dead tonight). It's one of my resolutions to finish this fanfiction some time before 2010, so I need to get these chapters up.

Or, at least, so I thought.

Then, decides to take a major crapzor all over my plans and be unable to process my log-in request. Go figure. I'm sorry it's late, even if it is because of a technical issue, but here it is, a little shorter than usual, but sweet and to the point!

Oh, and a shout-out to my reviewers… I haven't forgotten you. ^^ Special thanks to kudokuchan69, AnimeGurl9871, BeautifulXinXBlood, AmoreVampiresv-v, NAO-chan33. Hugs to everyone, reviewers, favoriters, watchers, and readers alike!

Oh, and mas kudos to the fine staff for getting the problem fixed so quickly. ^_^

* * *

_Chapter 21: Harmony_

The first thing Haru realized when she woke up was that she was not sprawled out in a hallway, nor was she on some lab table hooked up to innumerable machines. Even more surprising, she wasn't any more captive than she had been when she had passed out. No, what Haru found herself on, or rather tucked into, was a bed. Someone had loosened her clothing a bit, not for any sinister purpose but simply to ensure her comfort, yet whoever's hand had done so was tasteful and terribly cautious. As she opened her eyes, she expected to find herself in a familiar place. Instead, she found the room entirely unfamiliar. Glancing to her wrist, she spotted the cross gleaming on it. Her hand crept towards her neck and felt for the engagement band she had been given, and, finding it still there, she sighed heavily, turning over on her back.

Rising was definitely out of the question, or so she learned as her head reeled and an unbelievable pain spread throughout her body. _What the… what the hell happened to me? _Haru slung one arm over her eyes and groaned. As soon as she suppressed her discomfort, another question surfaced in her mind. Exactly why had she been saved? Whatever Aizen's intentions were, they had clearly been meddled with. What's more, who had any reason to save her in Hueco Mundo? Though she had easily faked her loyalty to Aizen, and though Aizen seemed to buy her ruse, all of the espada seemed to despise her. Haru turned over to her other side and wound up into a felinesque ball. Perhaps she should sleep a little more…

As her arm slipped off of the bed, it collided with something. Curious, she opened her eyes and waited until they came into the focus. At that precise moment, Haru found it rested on the shoulder of a uniform, and that the person who was sitting next to the bed, facing away from her, was leering at her over his shoulder. The full weight of where she was dawned on her, and immediately, she sat bolt upright, trying to withdraw or retreat. Unfortunately, the blankets immobilized her, and she wound up clumsily falling on top of the espada as he scrambled to get out of the way. Immediately, she untangled herself and staggered backwards, stammering an apology as she tried to stand but immediately finding herself incapable of moving. Before she could do more damage to herself, a pair of arms restrained her and laid her down again. She was in too much pain to thank him at the moment, not even as she felt the blanket once more descend on her frame.

One violet eye appeared. "Why are you doing this?" He paused and sat down again, choosing reticence over explanation at the moment. "Nani? You have nothing to say?"

"Shut up," he retorted. Haru scoffed at his irritation.

"If you hated me so much, you would have left me there, but you didn't. You carried me here, didn't you?" A slight growl escaped him despite his best efforts. "Grimmjow-san…"

"I said shut up." Haru thought it best to obey him at the moment, especially since the mere effort of talking sent waves of pain through her entire body. As she peered at the ceiling, she noted that her vision started blurring, and with a shame that far surpassed any she had ever endured, she hastily rolled over so he couldn't see her if he glanced over his shoulder. After burying herself in the covers, she took a moment to recover. Still, she felt so groggy that she couldn't even remember why she cared.

_That's right, _she thought, shutting her eyes. _I can't let anyone here see my tears. They would only take full advantage of my vulnerable moment. _Haru tugged on the chain and withdrew the ring, cupping it in her hands and holding it close to her. _It is a poor substitute, Byakuya-sama. Still, I must find consolation where I can…_ She wiped her face and turned over again, seeing that Grimmjow took no interest in her whatsoever. Haru wondered what she should say to him, if she could even say anything at all. "Neh… Grimmjow-san," she found herself saying before she could check her tongue. One irate eye shot towards her. Her tears, or the remnants of them, didn't faze him in the least. With a nervous laugh, she wiped her eyes and tried to sit up again. Wobbly though she was, she managed a bow, and as her head dipped low enough so that her hair brushed against the covers, she murmured in a low voice, "Arigato."

His pupil narrowed, and he scrambled up as Haru started tipping off the bed. Fortunately, he was quick enough to catch her again and lay her down. Her mouth was gaping and drawing in swift breaths from just that little bit of effort, and the sliver of her eyes that shone out of the dark held untold levels of misery. Even knowing that he was the one who had brought her there, who was the ultimate source of her misery, and even in that sorry condition she was in, she hadn't failed to thank him. He threw his disgusted glare elsewhere. "Baka," he growled. "Don't thank me."

"De… demo…"

"Urusai," he said, this time with a bit less force. "You'll waste all the strength you've got." Haru peered at him. Sweat glistened on her brow, and a drop of it trickled along her temple.

"G… Grimmjow-san."

"Didn't I tell you to be quiet?"

"Tell… tell me, please… what… what's going to happen to me?" He didn't say anything, but Haru saw the grim look in his eyes. Startled, she reached a hand out for his sleeve and closed her hand around it, trembling as she opened her mouth to repeat her request. Nothing but a strained breath came out. His face twisted in revulsion again, and he pulled away. Haru's hand fell away, but her eyes watched him seat himself on the edge of the bed with what sounded like a difficult sigh. As he turned back again, Haru mouthed another request to him, but he didn't take the time to distinguish the words.

"The pills he gave you are designed to weaken your limiters." Haru had no reaction. After all, gentei kaijou was still in effect. Her output was limited to twenty percent, or ten, rather. "Both of your limiters." That did it. She tilted her face to him. "Did you honestly think he didn't know about that mark on your back?" Haru's eyes grew wide as the words died away to silence. "He wants to know how strong you really are. The only way he can do that is if you fight him at full strength, and you won't willingly release your limiters, so he figured he'd give you a hand. Of course, that's just what he says. Whether he means it or not, well… you know how he is."

"And…" she murmured. "And if I refuse?"

"Then he'll use the bargaining chip you gave him," Grimmjow said spitefully, his pupils narrowing again. Haru trembled and turned over, pushing herself onto all fours and rising an inch off the bed. "Quit trying to fight… it won't do any good. You sealed your fate when you came."

"Fate…" Haru listened to the word as it escaped her lips and tried to remember what her fate was. _What was it… that I was aiming for all those years? It seems so distant now… was it really the sun? Or was I aiming for something else? _A searing pain raced across her back and caused her to collapse with a cry. Gritting her teeth, she ignored the tears racing down her face and pushed herself up again.

"If you aren't careful, you'll knock yourself out again."

"I can't…" Haru managed.

"Look, he had Szayel lace the sugar with some kind of drug to dull your perceptions. You can't possibly move around when reality is so distant."

"I don't want things to be distant. I won't let them be distant." Haru lifted herself off the pillow and into a sitting position, peering again at the espada in a way with which he wasn't quite familiar. Though the determination that shone in them mirrored that which she had shown during their last fight, there was something distinct about it, something that he couldn't identify. "Suzaku…" she murmured softly, pushing herself up further. "Suzaku…" Grimmjow nearly shoved her back down, but the one vehement eye locked on him suddenly became a full-blown leer. Her arms left the bed, and she shoved herself into a kneeling position, her unrestrained hair whirling around her, contrasting the rouge in her cheeks and the silver in her eyes. Haru whimpered at the unpleasant sensation, then drew a breath, and in a voice full of crushing determination, she declared, "The only one who decides my fate is Suzaku!"

While he was still paralyzed with shock, Haru threw the blankets off of her frame and set her feet on the ground. She could barely stand, but she proceeded forward anyway. "O… oi, matte!" Grimmjow made the mistake of grabbing her from behind. Without thinking, she drove one fist against the bottom of his chin and followed it with a kick to the solar plexus. The force of it threw him against the bed and sent him tumbling to the floor on the other side. Haru wrapped a hand around her stomach, which had at the very least accepted the food even if it was rebelling against the drugs. Slowly, she made her way forward until Grimmjow stepped between her and the door.

"Move," she demanded. Grimmjow didn't move an inch, nor did he yield any ground when Haru threw a punch and he caught it. Realizing that he had a grip on her hand, she pulled back and staggered. By now, his arms were tired from catching her so many times, but he did so again with a great deal of irritation and carried her back to the bed while she fought. "Let go of me! I have to go! I'm not supposed to be here!"

"Exactly, and you're not leaving here until I say so!" Grimmjow shouted, tilting his head so the fist that was meant to knock against his jaw went slightly wide of its target. "Quit struggling, damn it!"

"Iie! There's somewhere I need to be, and you're getting in the way!"

"What the hell good would it do to go in that condition? You'd get yourself killed!"

"Why do you care? I'd be going for Suzaku, so it would be well worth what I pay in blood!"

"You're staying here!"

"Iie!" Grimmjow staggered three times while she struggled, but he finally managed to get her back to where she was and drop her unceremoniously in a heap on the bed. Haru rolled onto her side and leered at him, noticing that he was obdurate beyond measure. He was half-winded from the effort, and his stomach throbbed where she had kicked him. Still, he smirked with satisfaction and only caused her more anger. When it instantly melted away despite his pleasure, Haru sighed and laid back down on the pillow.

"Nani? Ya done already?"

"It isn't worth it," she responded simply, pressing a hand to each eye and rubbing her tears away. "Kuso… he said they were pain killers." She should have known better than to take them. If anything, the pain was more acute now than it was before. Perhaps they were intended to distort her perceptions and make her more compliant, so maybe that was why, after a brief struggle, she became compliant and bent to then she should have been content with merely bending to Grimmjow's will and submitting to inaction. Despite her dizziness, her achy body, and her fatigue, Haru was far from compliant. She would have tried to escape again had she not known that the consequence would be the same. Haru rested her head in the crook of her arm and peered up at him, noting the sudden displeasure on his face. "So, how's your arm?"

"Urusai," he retorted, turning the other way. Haru turned onto her side and peered at his back.

"Which do you loathe more: the fact that I care, or the fact that I keep caring, no matter how much you hate me?" When he didn't answer, Haru smiled amusedly and allowed her eyes to drift shut. Pain racked her body, but she could still smile. As long as she could do that, then nothing else mattered. "You can tell Aizen-sama that I'm not willing to let my limiters go so easily. Besides, I don't even know what will happen when I do." Haru shifted her eyes to the ceiling. She didn't feel much like moving, so she peered peripherally.

"I won't be telling Aizen-sama anything," Grimmjow retorted in a resentful tone. "He doesn't need to know you're here." Haru suddenly felt startled, and as the amusement washed over her silvery eyes, she drew a slow breath. Her reiatsu shifted of its own accord, which troubled her but did not deter her from musing over the truth of the matter. As she released her sigh, she couldn't help but smile and flex her fingers around the covers. "The hell is your problem?"

"Betsuni," she answered, shutting her eyes.

"Baka! Don't think I'll buy that pitiful excuse for an answer!"

"Have I piqued your curiosity?"

"Hell, no!"

"Then why are you yelling?" With a semi-awkward stammer, Grimmjow turned away and hunched over. Haru found the strength to turn onto her stomach and sit up. Her body still felt weak, but her mind was working well enough, even though reality still seemed distant. "You hid me here, didn't you? This is where you sleep, if my guess is correct, and I know it is. You risked a charge of treason just to prevent Aizen-sama from doing whatever he was really planning to do with me." She thought that perhaps the teal eyes grew less intense as she spoke, but she immediately dismissed her observation as a side-effect of her medicated condition. "Nande?"

"You don't need to know why."

"Of course I do," she answered. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have asked, but if you're not willing to tell me, I understand. After all, you are an espada, and I'm nothing more than…" Haru paused and peered at him again. An image flashed in her mind, one that she had long forgotten, one that had been buried beneath so many memories that it was nearly lost forever. When her expression grew grim, she bowed her head and turned away.

"Than a shinigami?"

"I don't know," Haru murmured, grabbing a fistful of blankets again. "I've called myself that in the past, but I was never really sure." She laughed bitterly and smiled. "Look at me… I'm such a fool, going on like this. I'm probably irritating you." She bowed her head a little lower and laughed again, shaking her head with a difficult smile. "Neh, Grimmjow-san…"

"Hmm?"

"Would it… would it be too terribly inconvenient if I went back to sleep?"

"Suit yourself," he growled, rising and pacing halfway across the room before plopping down in a chair. Haru blinked and stared at him for a few moments before smiling and moving her fingers. Consciousness suddenly felt a bit far away, so she closed her eyes, feeling quite at ease despite her situation.

_I knew him, _she thought as her eyes fell shut. _Before he was like this, I knew him… so, that's why… that's why I feel… that for now, at least, I can trust him. _Haru knew they would never discuss the subject at length no matter how long she was there, nor would either of them ruminate over that moment in time so long ago. Regardless of their mental and verbal silence, the unspoken truth would surely linger between them for however long she stayed.

* * *

Days rolled by at a dizzying rate, filled with work of the most tenuous kind. Every day, the routine was the same. He got up, consumed a light breakfast, wandered to his office, and plowed through paperwork with the vigor of some animal digging a burrow in anticipation of a long winter nap. At least, he would have liked to say that, but for him, there was no rest. The leaves were falling in heaps; the trees in his own garden burned beneath autumn's cool touch, but he took no time to notice that. His hand moved without disruption and was kept moving by the fact that he was immune to all distractions… until the warm sunlight resting on his hand was blocked. He paused and rested the brush in its ink well, then peered up at the person standing between him and the light. Yes, time was passing… but the gaps that had been left behind on that day remained unfilled. "Fujiwara…"

"Hmm?" he asked.

"You are supposed to be working," Byakuya said tersely. Takumi stared out the window, letting his eye drift shut. A small breeze disturbed the stillness outside and caused the chime to jingle slightly.

"I know," Takumi replied after a moment. "I just had to hear it again is all."

"Hear what?" Clearly, the Kuchiki didn't think such things important. With a slight smile, Takumi strode away from the window. "Do not come in here again without knocking, Fujiwara." Takumi paused at the door. He wasn't feeling particularly bold, but he did turn around and peer at the Kuchiki, whose hand moved towards the brush until he detected his nanaseki's gaze. "Leave."

"You know," Takumi began.

"I do not feel like listening to one of your philosophical speeches today. Leave."

"You can't make the wind blow, Kuchiki-taichou."

"Come again?" Takumi smiled, knowing that the same tactic had worked for the past several days, then slowly turned around.

"I can see perfectly clearly through your little façade. You've been trying to force a change, but you're becoming frustrated because it won't occur." Byakuya arched a brow as if he were intrigued or bewildered. Takumi shook his head and continued. "Did you ever consider that, perhaps this change you wish to occur wasn't meant to? Maybe it's better that things stay the way they are for now." Takumi paused and glanced at Byakuya again. "You've never really been the patient type, though, have you?" He had to smile when a dark anger spread across Byakuya's expression. Deciding that was a good moment to leave, he pulled the door open and stepped through it, walking backwards over the threshold. "No matter how impatient you are, the wind won't blow until it's ready to." Once the door slid shut, Byakuya covered his eyes with his hand and heaved a sigh. He honestly couldn't be that transparent about it… could he?

The regal captain peered through his fingers. The sunlight still touched them, but it seemed a little colder now. Sighing, he rose and strode to the window, where he could faintly hear a wind chime disperse its tune into the air. To his ears, the sound was bitterly futile, like a lone violin crying out in the darkness. _I should have realized… _The vivid image of a face flashed through his mind, a face drenched in rain and tears. _I should have seen the signs… _Leaning against the wall, Byakuya glimpsed the face again in his memory, the eyes vivid and bright, the face lit with a smile. _If I had, then she might not be gone right now. _His gaze darkened as he glanced up at the sun and its warmth darted across his face, reminding him of the touch he had felt so many times.

He couldn't stand the thought that it was his fault. Immediately, Byakuya's steps swept across the room, and he seated himself at his desk, determined to focus, but the thought lingered and grew. _Did you turn away… because I asked you to marry me? _If a question like that could drive Haru to disloyalty, then perhaps it was better that she had left him, but something lingered, something he could never hope to change until the wind decided to blow, the gap that she had left behind when she disappeared and became one of Aizen's soldiers. _Iie… that cannot be the case… _Byakuya's eyes wandered once more to the sunlight that lay across his hand. Sighing, he thrust a hand into his haori and withdrew the only physical remnant he had left of her, the pair of round, thin-framed glasses she had worn for so long. _That boy… _he thought, his eyes narrowing. _He knows something that he isn't telling me. More vexing still, I find his behavior troubling. It almost seems as if… _His thoughts broke off again as the wind chime outside his window moved. This time, the sound was different somehow, though he couldn't exactly put the difference into works.

For now, he had to stop thinking about it, or else, it would drive him completely mad. Tapping the glasses on his desk, Byakuya pushed them back inside his haori and resumed his work, this time with a slightly more resolute hand.

"Takumi, you've come again," the demon stated, taking feline strides towards his master.

"Does it bother you that I'm here so frequently?"

"Not at all, not at all." Takumi collapsed into a sitting position, peering over the burning lake below his feet and staring transfixed at its waters. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm not sure," Takumi stated, "but I feel something very strongly, a tug… it's like I'm being pulled forward by fate."

"And your eye… how is it?" He glanced towards the demon, smiled faintly, and sealed his gaze off for a moment, covering his left with an unsteady hand. "Is it still bothering you?" Slowly, Takumi shook his head, keeping his eye covered. "Then… what?" His face was calm, even as he turned it towards his demon, yet tears leaked from his left eye and descended like precious rain after a drought. Sighing, the demon flicked his two tails and hunched his feline-like shoulders. "Takumi, you cannot deny your emotions, not to me, at least. If you tell me what troubles you, then… then perhaps I can do something."

"Iie," he said, shaking his head slowly. "This has nothing to do with emotions. I just keep seeing some troubling things." He covered his left eye again and peered at the water. "It's a battlefield, wherever it is. It always looks different, and the weather is always different. Sometimes, it's snowing. Sometimes, it's sunny. And sometimes, there's nothing but a cold, driving rain. You're with me there, but not the same way you are now, and I'm there with…" His voice trailed off, and he clenched a frustrated fist. "I can never tell who, but I feel very strongly about this person, like they're someone I want to protect. That's as far as I get before my vision breaks down."

His zanpakutoh rose and strode in a small circle, flicking his tails and pondering deeply. He peered up at Takumi, then twitched his ears a bit and paused, peering up at the boy with both eyes. "Takumi, perhaps I cannot help you see this future, as your power resides in you, but perhaps I can help you find out who you are standing next to."

"How?" he inquired, rising and striding towards his zanpakutoh. "I don't understand… you can't possibly enter the world outside of me and physically search out this person!"

"No, no I can't…" The demon's voice trailed off as he sat down again. "When you told Hajime about your eye, about the true powers contained within it, your soul felt a little lighter, didn't it?"

"Hai."

"And now—I can even feel it as you speak, and as the lake below us burns—after having discussed this matter with me, you feel lighter as well."

"What relevance does that have?" he inquired.

"I have a hunch, but I want to be sure before I share this information with you." He paused and flicked his tails. "I believe the time has come when I will test my theory…"

"Nani? You can't just leave me with that!" Takumi shouted. Startled by a voice close to his ear, he jolted awake and glanced to its source. Fortunately, it was on his right, so he could see it clearly, see the worried face hovering just beyond his own. For a moment, he simply studied it, but when her closeness actually crossed his mind, he nearly tripped over himself staggering away. "Oi! What gives?" he demanded irately, scowling at a startled Hinamori, who simply blinked and pointed to his hand. Curious, he peered at it and realized it was covered in a web of charcoal lines that slithered beyond his sleeve and disappeared. Takumi drew a breath as he flexed his fingers, and relieved that they were under his command, he sighed with relief. He kept forgetting that those lines now held a new significance, but the moment to think on it had passed, and he immediately gave an inward apology to his zanpakutoh and rose to his feet. There it was again, that feeling as he walked away that he was wound up in the threads of fate and being hauled off in a cocoon to feed its will.

"Takumi," she called after him, causing his steps to pause and drawing his glance back over his shoulder, or it would have had the eye patch not blocked his view. "What's going on? You haven't been yourself. Can't you please tell me?" He turned away and began pacing forward again, perturbed by her presence as he always was. The trouble was he wanted to tell her. The less he interacted with Hinamori, the better, as far as he was concerned, because if he told her the truth, then his promise to his captain would perish, and that was a price that he wasn't willing to pay. Still, even has he walked his legs stiffened as if they too disliked his plot to avoid her and watch her at a distance.

_What in the hell are you thinking, Akumashoku? Let me go!_

_Not a chance, _the sword answered. Frustrated, he whirled to her and flashed one furious azure eye in her direction, but she seemed to be unaffected by his glare. Instead, she continued walking towards him and stopped only when she felt like stopping.

"What… what are you here for?"

"You were supposed to be at the fifth division thirty minutes ago. I got concerned because you're never late, so I came to find you." She paused and glanced at the ground, and though her face showed no sign of apology, her voice resounded with volumes of regret. "Why are you here, Takumi? Why aren't you fulfilling your duties? Have you been sleeping well, and have you been eating plenty?"

"You aren't my mother," he growled, clenching his fist, "so why even bother asking?" She couldn't provide him an answer, so he turned away again, but physical force stopped him this time. An arm wound around his, and he turned back with a huff before he was shoved against the wall and pinned there by two trembling hands. The trouble etched into Hinamori's expression cut him to the core, but he cast his eye away as if he didn't care.

"Baka," she muttered. "You lock yourself up and pretend you're fine. You even spend all your energy looking after others, but you're really the one that needs looking after, Takumi."

"I don't need anything like that."

"Don't lie," she said calmly. "You were hurt, too, when she left." The words rose in his throat, words he couldn't speak but would have gladly sung from any hilltop. Clenching is fist, he diverted his eye again, but she wouldn't let him look away. Her presence, and the trembling hands on his shoulders, demanded his full attention, as did Akumashoku's presence, which burned potently through him. "Do you think withdrawing will make the pain go away? If you're alone, it will only grow worse. That's how it was for me, sitting in a hospital bed all those months alone. I wasn't awake, but I still felt the pain. I feel it even now, all that lost time weighing down upon me, pulling me apart from everything I once knew… I hate it."

"The past is immutable," he retorted, pushing her hands away and walking forward again. "Only the future can change." Hinamori hesitated, staring at her hands, then lurched forward and seized his wrist, now free of the sinister threads that bound him to his zanpakutoh.

"What do you think I've been trying to do?"

"You can't change my future, Momo," he said simply, tugging on his arm and finding it more difficult to pull free than he first thought. "Let go."

"Takumi…"

"Just let go," Takumi repeated, hating the fact that his body was fighting his mind's desire. He tried walking forward, but Hinamori dug her feet into the road and resisted. "Why are you still hanging on? Don't you know by now I'm nothing but bad news?"

"You don't really believe that, Takumi!"

"The hell I don't!"

"You're stubborn and pigheaded, but you're still a rotten liar!"

"And you're sticking your nose where it doesn't belong! If you keep digging for the truth, you're going to find something you hate even more than betrayal! Now, let go!" Takumi pulled his arm free and paused, wondering how much he had given away, but he ignored the thought for the moment and started forward again, this time with more determination than he had shown in the past. _I almost let myself go once around her, _he said to himself. _I can't let that happen again. The closer she gets, the more danger she puts herself in. I know I won't hurt her, but she may be hurt by what she finds. I don't want that… _

_Nande? _Akumashoku murmured to him. _You seem rather intent on shielding her from whatever pain you can._

_Baka, _he told his sword. _Leave it alone._

_I told you before, didn't I? This is a test, and in order for me to pursue the information I want, you need to stay with her for a little longer._

_You're asking me too much, _he retorted. _You can get your information some other way._

_Ah, Takumi… the truth will soon be before you… _

_Nani… _Takumi put a hand on his sword and flashed out of sight. He felt the blade sweep close to the back of his head. It was ridiculously close to scathing the strings that secured the patch over his left eye. Once he returned into sight, he glanced in the direction the blow came from and yanked his sword out of his sheath to block the succeeding strike. "What are you doing, Momo?"

"Knocking some sense into you!"

"Hey!" he cried, tilting his head as the blade moved towards the left side of his face again.

"If you won't listen to me, then listen to my sword!" Gritting his teeth, he matched her swing and found it surprisingly strong for someone who had woken up from a coma less than three weeks ago. Hinamori shoved him back and drove forward again. Takumi ducked the strike and staggered, forgetting that there was a wall next to him. He tumbled against it, striking it in such a way that caused him incredible pain, but he remained alert to dodger he next strike. As he stumbled again, he pressed his back to the stone and threw his gaze towards the sky.

"Ok, I give, I give!"

"Like hell you give! I won't let you disrespect me like that!"

"Momo, come on! Onegai!"

"I won't quit. I definitely won't quit." Takumi was forced to block another strike. This one wretched his sword clear of his hands. He drew a breath as Hinamori's zanpakutoh shot towards his eye patch again. Without thinking, he grabbed the sword with his bare hands. He felt it slice his flesh despite his conviction that his reiatsu surpassed hers. Gritting his teeth, he felt the blade move closer and tried to tilt his head, but there wasn't much he could do. A drop of sweat rolled down his brow. He forced the lump in his throat down. Desperately, his azure eye wandered and sought a way out, but it caught sight of something that nearly made him forget the sword, something he felt like he had seen before without really having seen it.

The familiar vision flashed in his mind. Takumi's focus became so intense that his reiatsu shifted, and Hinamori, suspicious of a counterattack, pulled her sword out of his hands and leapt back, taking up a ready stance. When he didn't move, she turned around to see what he was looking at. The azure sky he was so focused on was pierced by a jut of rock. She peered back at Takumi, trying to discern his expression, and found it suddenly serious. He glanced at her and must have detected some knowing in her eyes. Immediately, he meandered to his sword and sheathed it after he picked it up. "Takumi," she began as he doubled back, but he snatched her hand before she could say anything else and started dragging her forward. "Takumi, what are you…"

"That cliff… how do you get there?"

"Eh? You mean Soukyouku Hill?"

"Tell me how to get there."

"Why?" she stammered.

"Just do it." Hinamori directed him with her words rather than argue. Every now and then, she would demand to know why he was suddenly so intent on going there, but he never answered. He simply climbed the stairs in silence, grasping her hand as he strode forward and inhaled deeply.

"Takumi, we're going too fast. You sound like you're going to pass out…" At that very moment, they alighted at the top of the stairs. Only then did he let go of her hand, which was slightly red due to the pressure he had been applying, and paced three steps forward independently of his second shadow. After he had moved far enough, he paused and glanced around as if he were searching for something. A brisk wind blew, causing her to raise a hand to her face and shut one eye as it swept past her. Takumi was unfazed as if he had dove into his own consciousness.

"This place…" he murmured softly, yet loud enough for her to hear. As the wind slowed to a stop, she paused and peered at his back, noting just how rigid his shoulders had suddenly grown. Slowly, he turned around and cast one pale blue eye over his shoulder. "What did you say it was called again?"

"It's Soukyouku Hill," she answered. "But how could you not have known about it? Just this spring, everyone was in an uproar about it. This is where Kuchiki Rukia was supposed to be executed."

"I guess I skipped that class." Something dark flickered in his eyes as he turned away. For some reason, she wanted to drive it away, so she stepped towards him. "Momo."

"Hmm?"

"I appreciate what you're trying to do for me, but I'm beyond your help. Don't waste your time on me."

"What are you talking about?" she demanded.

"I'm not sure," Takumi murmured, "but I know it's good for you to keep your distance."

"Do you think I'm scared of your sword, Takumi?"

"You should be much less afraid of my sword and much more afraid of me." Takumi closed his fist but didn't peer back at her. Instead, he cast his gaze up at the sky. She imagined it was terribly doleful even though the sky was clear. Glancing down, Hinamori spotted the lines wind around his wrist and spread across his hand. Immediately, she bolted forward and seized his arm with a vigor that drew his gaze. Realizing what she had done, Hinamori leapt back and raised her own hands to show she had meant no offense.

"Gomen… I mean… that is to say…" His eye widened slightly, then narrowed and fell shut as he smiled and shook his head.

"This is the place," he said firmly, turning heel and walking towards her. "This is definitely it."

"Definitely… what?"

"I'm not sure," Takumi stated, pressing one hand against her face so quickly that she was petrified. The lines on his hand didn't recede, yet he seemed to be quite with himself despite his unusual action. He was still smiling; she had seen him smile like that before, yet she hadn't seen it in what seemed like forever. It was the same way he had smiled the day she had first met him when he was busy harassing Haru about her relationship with Byakuya. No, somehow, his smile was different. "A thousand battlefields I've seen, and this is but the first of many." His comment bewildered her. "Still, I won't complain about the view. It's nice." Having said that, he withdrew and paced towards the staircase. "Hey, have you eaten anything today?"

"I… iie," she stammered, touching the wrist that had moments ago been entwined in his grasp.

"What say we eat something nostalgic, then, hmm? My treat."

"I can't let you do that!"

"Oh, come on, Momo… honestly, I'm working for two divisions. I can afford it."

"That isn't what I meant at all!"

"The lunch rush should be over by now. If we hurry, we might even make it back in time to actually be productive."

"Now, hold on just a minute, Takumi! Get back here and explain yourself!" But the Fujiwara seemed to be suffering from selective hearing disorder. She harassed him all the way down the stairs, but when she was sitting across from him, gazing thoughtfully at the remaining blue orb through which he saw, she found herself entirely satisfied by the unspoken words.

* * *

When Haru was sure she could move, she sat up and straightened her garments, then cast one look at Grimmjow, who had leaned one cheek against his curled fingers and drifted off into his own private reverie. His eyes were closed, but the way he was breathing told her that he was awake. She looked away after a moment and remembered, with a grim look on her face, a memory that had seeped away after her death, or perhaps after that day…

It had been raining then, too. Perhaps all of her bad days started with the rain she loved so much. She was standing near the threshold with her eyes locked on the darkness, thinking on a dialogue she and Urahara had had earlier that day in the midst of her usual training. "Sensei," she stated, glancing at him with questioning eyes. "Why do we kill hollow?" In truth, the question didn't surprise him. As Haru would learn later, he had been waiting for her to ask that question since she had come to live there. Since she had arrived there, she had been getting more tentative with her verbalizations, but that question… it must have plagued her since the time she could think. With a smile, he took his hat off and pressed it down on her head. She was still child enough to act childish sometimes. She smiled and objected, giving one of her rare laughs and reaching out to touch his hand, but as his unshadowed, clouded eyes bore down on her, the smile faded.

"The hollow were once human," he murmured, "but their regrets consumed them. That's why we do it. We kill the hollow to save them, give them a new existence. They start life anew in Soul Society. Do you understand, Haru-sama?"

"Hai, demo…"

"Demo?" he echoed.

"But what if they're happy being hollow?" Haru knew it was a strange question, but nonetheless, it was one that had weighed on her. In despair, in misery, a human soul became a hollow, but perhaps it wasn't always a disheartening experience. Perhaps it got better over time, the same way she had begun thinking critically about her life as a shinigami. With her beginnings bathed in blood, she swung a sword to spill more under the guise of protecting others from becoming hollow. "What if… what if we're actually making them suffer more?"

"I highly doubt that," Urahara stated. "I can't offer you any proof. I can't offer you anything more than my word." He paused and looked down at her. "Do you understand?" She nodded vigorously. "So…" Like her laughs, it was a rare moment when Urahara walked that line between teacher and father. He embraced her, pulled her close, patted the back of her head with his large hand, and whispered in her ear, "if you should ever perish, promise me you won't let that happen, because I could never bear to turn my sword on you."

Those final words haunted her, not merely because they reminded her of her own mortality, but also because they reminded her of her dead parents. Her mother, a shinigami, had presumably been reincarnated as a human being. Her father… well, his soul was human, so he would have gone to Soul Society… but what if in his remorse, he had turned into something else? And what if, someday, she had to be the one to set him free? She raised her head to the rain and stared at the sky that plummeted into her, wondering if there was some other way…

Haru detected a gaze resting on her, a hungry gaze, a wild gaze. She lowered her eyes slowly, driving the fear back but not the serious smile that lit her face, not the dark shadow flitting through them, and not the private conviction that there was an alternative. Of course, her eyes fell upon a hollow, a felinesque shape standing unconcealed before her, staring, tail flicking, fangs showing, eyes wild and hungry, but when it looked at her, it stopped, simply stopped in its tracks and stared at her, for some reason compelled to study her. Utterly devoid of fear, Haru stared at the creature, intrigued. Perhaps there was an alternative, she thought as she gazed. Perhaps there was another way. Still unafraid, she stepped forward once, then stopped because she heard steps in the hall and a light had suddenly appeared behind her in the doorway.

"Haru-sama, why are you out here?" The hollow, who had detected danger before she had, was hunched in the bushes, gazing between the leaves at her face. "Is something there?" Haru stared back for a moment, then, with her eyes still locked on it, she said in a low tone,

"Iie. I just… I'm having a hard time sleeping is all." Urahara chuckled and wound his black haori, too long for her, around her shoulders. He had led her inside by the hand. When she looked again, the hollow was gone. Haunted by the fact that it could have killed her and even more so by the fact that it didn't, she took the tea without arguing even knowing he had slipped some sake in it to make her drowsy, and slept soundly for the whole night, dreaming of those haunting eyes and wondering if she would ever see them again.

And she had. Sure enough, she had.

With a deep breath, she peered to Grimmjow, whose eyes opened the moment he heard her feet touch the floor. "Going somewhere?"

"As I seem to be well enough, yes." He shut them again, preferring not to see where it was that she intended to go. "What? You aren't going to stop me?"

"Ch… I'm not your damn baby sitter." Haru conceded the point. She thought it was rather well made. For a moment, she rested a hand on the door, then hesitated.

"That's right… I was going to ask you…" Grimmjow peered at her again, obviously irritated by the prospect of an inquiry. "Would you say your life was… fulfilling?"

"What the hell kind of a question is that?"

"I don't know… the kind that only I would ask. I guess I'm just curious." His eyes fell shut again. He seemed completely unamused by her inquiry, nor did he seem any more willing to put up with her now that she had provided her rationale. She had placed her hand on the door and resolved to leave, but she heard him speak.

"What about you?" It was a simple question, one that made her turn back and peer at him. "Are you happy being what you are?" Haru couldn't help but smile and bow her head. "Have you ever even stopped and thought about it?"

"Iie," she answered. "I just took it for granted that every morning, I would wake up with the single task of swinging my sword to protect people, but now that I look back on it, I can't say I was honestly unhappy with where I was… just irritated at where I wasn't." Her hand slid against the door and fell away entirely as she peered at the ground. "I'm not even sure if it was right, going all that way for this… maybe I'll learn to regret it one day. For now, I just have to keep moving forward."

"Baka," he retorted. "That's no way to live."

"I've got no other way, I'm afraid," she murmured, turning her eyes to the ceiling, then whirling to him with that same dark look in her eyes. "Who knows? Maybe I just left to find the answers in the end, or to escape from them. Maybe I won't like what I find after staring into darkness for an eternity." He raised a brow, then shut his eye again, folding his legs and leaning against his other hand. Haru thought he was finished, but as she reached for the door, he spoke again.

"It's always raining," he stated. Her hand jolted, and she whirled to him. "In your eyes, I mean."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know." Grimmjow looked at her, then shut his eyes again. "Just whenever I look at you, I feel like it's raining somewhere under all that fire." Haru's gaze hardened. She couldn't help but feel it, a touch of offense slipping through her at his comment. It seemed totally irrelevant, completely inappropriate, something thinly veiled beneath a guise of attentiveness. She was about to berate him for it, but the sound of the door opening behind her cut off the sound of her voice. She glanced to the intruder, into his emerald eyes and at his pale skin, and felt a touch of anxiety as she considered the possibility that he may have been listening. She stared at him for a moment, fighting the outrage that arose at his scrutiny first of her, then of the nonchalant Grimmjow, then of the state of the bed. "Don't get any ideas," Grimmjow retorted.

"As if I would. You, woman…" The eyes locked on her. "I've been instructed to lead you back to your chambers."

"If it's all the same, I'll do it," Grimmjow retorted.

"Iie. Aizen-sama wants a word with you." Haru's eyes glimmered for an instant, but Grimmjow rose without question, passed her without a word, and glanced at her as he walked by. His eyes said it all: in the end, he would justify things so even Aizen wouldn't have a clue. While she drew an ounce of comfort from that small reassurance, she still had to deal with Ulquiorra, who obviously saw her as little more than trash.

"You should let me go with him," Haru retorted, folding her arms.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean to say it's my fault I wound up here. Passing out in the hallway like that wasn't exactly my plan, but the headache was so atrocious…" She couldn't tell whether he bought it or not, but she hoped that she had at least abated his suspicions. "At the very least, I could justify it. I've caused him some trouble, it seems… that wasn't my intention." Haru folded her hands and peered at him, nodding to signify she was ready to follow, and she did, in silent reflection. What more could she do? She had no choice but to be obedient considering the circumstances. She followed Ulquiorra without complaint or defiance, and when she finally came to her own door, she set her hand against it and pulled the handle open herself without qualm. "Ano…" Haru paused and glanced back at him. "I'm not sure how you want me to address you, so I hope I don't say this too informally." She bowed briefly. "Arigato-gozaimasu, Ulquiorra-san." The feeling seeped out of Haru's body as soon as she finished speaking. Suddenly, a glow had appeared in front of her eyes from that pale hand. It was thrust directly at her head. Her eyes remained steadily locked upon his, refusing to look away. There was no fear in her eyes, only pity and a touch of surprise.

"Learn your place, scum," he murmured, smiting the glowing cero in his hand and grabbing her throat. She didn't speak or resist. She simply drew as much breath as she could and held it as he tightened his grasp. "You may charm Aizen-sama with those eyes, but they will not work on a real espada. Here, you are nothing but a tool, and tools never speak, so keep your mouth shut, girl, and know that the only reason your existence continues is because Aizen-sama has some use for you. You amount to nothing more than that." Haru gasped and staggered as the hand released her, but her eyes never left his, not even as he disappeared behind the dark side of the door.

A faint click broke the silence. So, they had caged her at last.

The knowledge broke over her like a wave. With unbearable desperation, she rose and threw herself against it, pounding at the slab until her hands bled, but it was no use. For the first time since she had come to Hueco Mundo, she was trapped. The tears flooded the rim of her eyes, dripped free as she pounded against it again and again, for she felt him standing there, just on the other side of the door, listening to her. "Ulquiorra-san!" she yelled, concealing her tears with carefully implemented rage. "Are you listening to me? I came here of my own free will expecting to be treated like a guest, not a prisoner. If you don't unlock this door, I'll…" Her voice trailed off as she sank to the floor, limp as a ragdoll. She felt the oppression cave in around her and covered her mouth so her sobs wouldn't be audible. Only when he had left as calmly as he had come did she stop crying and sink submissively to the floor, unable to move or do anything more than be oppressed by the knowledge that the door was locked and that she was never getting out.

* * *

_Haru… _She heard the voice before she awakened as a whisper that cut through her reverie. _Haru… _She shut it out because she didn't want to hear it, but it jarred her to consciousness. With a small groan, she opened her eyes and realized she was still on the floor. Blinking, she rose and pressed a hand to her head. Her arms were sore for some reason. In fact, her entire body was sore. The realization slowly came to her that she had been laying on stone, that she had fixed her entire being on getting out of that trap. Haru glanced down at her hands, realized that one had still been bleeding a little, and then peered to the person who had been calling her name, into the last face she wanted to see. The wave of revulsion slammed against her, but all she did was bow her head.

"It's a shame you have to see me like this, Aizen-sama." Haru pressed her hand over her eyes and wiped across them. She felt a streak of blood slide across her eyes and peered at him. She couldn't stop her gaze from wandering to the open door behind him. Questioningly, she glanced back to him, to that sadistic smile. When he reached out, Haru threw herself back, but he caught her anyway, at least her hand, and forced her to maintain an upright position. "Ai… Aizen-sama…" He turned the hand over in his own, examining its wounds with his eyes and his own fingers. "Yamete kudasai."

"Such lovely hands," he stated, not paying any attention to her objections, "especially when they are red." When she felt his grasp go loose, Haru immediately pulled her hand to her, not bothering to conceal the leer that rose in her gaze. "That's right," Aizen encouraged her. "Show me that look of defiance, Yamashita Haru." The tainted name fell from his lips, and her eyes flickered with a new kindling. "That fire… I will have it one day." Haru stared at the hand he had stretched out, then back to his deceptive face. "Since I see my compliments make you uncomfortable, I will refrain, but you'll at least let me do something about your—"

"I…" She was surprised at how steady her voice sounded, so much so that she fell silent and bowed her head. "With your permission, I'll take care of them myself… Aizen-sama." She put up a wall in her eyes between herself and Aizen. Surely, that wall would protect her from something, that and the fact that she had smeared blood across her face. Inside, she was quivering. Her heart was ablaze with rebellion. She wanted, more than anything, a few inches of space, but a question nagged at her. She couldn't let him go yet, but she needed justification for making him stay. She bowed her head and turned away, placing one of her wounded hands in his grasp and ignoring the sickening feeling of his reiatsu against his skin.

"At least pretend you're enjoying it, Haru-chan." She glared at the liberty he was taking with her name but said nothing.

"About Grimmjow, and my winding up there, I—"

"I understand." Haru doubted that, but she made no objection. "He is not at fault for what he did, Haru-chan. He was simply acting on my order to protect you. Still, if you had been in such precarious health, you should have remained until it passed."

_If I was in precarious health, it was your fault, you conniving bastard. _Haru could only bow her head in apology.

"Gomenasai, Aizen-sama."

"Next time, you will stay."

_There won't be a next time. _

"Hai, Aizen-sama." Aizen held on to her hand for a little too long but relinquished his grasp to her relief. He waved his fingers in a subtle manner, asking silently for the other, which she gave after a moment of hesitation. "He won't suffer any penalty, will he?"

"My, my… you're concerned."

"Only because I feel responsible. I overestimated my ability to cope with the reishi." It was a perfectly ostensible reason, so Haru thought he would believe it. "I don't like seeing other people suffer because of me."

"Grimmjow will suffer nothing. I merely reminded him that he was to find me should anything like this happen again. He may be your escort, but I hold myself personally responsible for ensuring your comfort and well-being." Haru pulled her hand away, seeing that it had already healed and folded it against her chest, dropping her eyes so she wouldn't have to look at him, to feel that repulsion in her.

"Arigato-gozaimasu, Aizen-sama." He smiled and extended one hand, but Haru saw it. She beat it back with her gaze, the viciousness of which made him smile all the more broadly. "About my door…"

"It will remain unlocked," he stated. "I merely wished to know where I could find you after discussing the matter with Grimmjow."

"Arigato-gozaimasu," she said again, bowing her head, this time to hide her tears. She wasn't grateful to him, but she was relieved that, limited though it was, she still had some liberty. Once he left, Haru rose and closed the door, then made her way over to the bed and hugged the pillow, winding herself around it and letting the tears slide down her face in silence. _That bastard… _she thought, shutting her eyes and drawing a sharp breath. _What the hell does he want from me?_ Haru let it out silently and fixed her eyes on the moon beyond the window. It was slow in coming, but a surge of hope was rising in her, one that shifted particularly strongly when she recalled her resolution._ Somehow… _Haru sat up and wandered into her bathroom, washing her face with a cloth that felt as soft as sandpaper, though under normal circumstances, it would have felt better. She glanced at herself in the mirror, then resolutely walked across the floor and set herself on the bed. The violin case emerged from beneath it, and she drew it open. _Somehow, I'll make it through this. _Having laid down all her thoughts at the feet of the moon, she drew back the string, and one sweet, sad note filled the air. _Suzaku…_

_Hai, Haru-sama?_

_Sing with me. _The voice inside of her harmonized with the violin, her lips parted, and the air she drew in seemed a little sweeter. With each note, her troubling thoughts seemed farther and farther away until finally, only a shadow of them lingered. In spite of feeling so violated and vulnerable, she could keep moving, if only for the sake of those she left behind.

* * *

Hooray! You made it to the end! I'm closing short with a Japanese lesson and a sincere hope that my busy schedule will let me update again this coming weekend. Until then, happy reading, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! =)

Arigato: Thanks

Nani: What

Baka: Idiot

Urusai: Shut up

Matte: Wait

Iie: No

Kuso: Japanese swear word. Tee hee. ^_^

Betsuni: Nothing

Nande: Why

Hai: Yes

Onegai: Please

Gomen: Sorry

Demo: But

Ano: Japanese um

Arigato-gozaimasu: Formal thanks

Yamete kudasai: Stop, please.

Gomenasai: Formal apology


	22. Chapter 22: Gamble

A/N: So, there I was, cruising through the first summer semester, diligently thesising, when suddenly, I realized that I again neglected my fanfiction. Horrendously tremendous apologies to everyone I kept waiting, but I do have some downtime now before my theory class starts, so hopefully, this is part one of an update-a-thon (key word there being hopefully). Rest assured, I am surviving graduate school and still writing the fanfiction. I just need to be more diligent with updating.

Anyway… I will spare any further beggings and pleadings for forgiveness and just let you get to the good stuff, but not without a special thanks to my readers, reviewers, followers, favoriters, etc. for sticking with me despite being on and off the interwebs due to the rigors of graduate school. Maybe one day, I'll put these writing skills to good use and publish a real book… XD LOVE TO ALL, and henceforth, commence the chapter of DOOM!

* * *

_Chapter 22: Gamble_

Haru stretched her limbs slightly and rolled over, relishing the feeling of liberty while bearing in mind that it may just be an illusion. Above her lingered the same false sky and the same false sun she had come to see in the first place. Of course, she hadn't told anyone where she was going, nor did she particularly desire the company at the moment. Every now and then, she simply wanted a little piece of time alone, and whenever the opportunity presented itself to seize that solitude, she took it. This was probably the third time since she had gotten there, not counting her first few days of suffering beneath the increased pressure of spirit particles, which were periodically disrupted by Aizen's insistence that they dine together at lunch. Those times were the most vexing to her, as she had to endure his presence with patience and decorum. Still, all things considered, she knew her mind was coping well with the circumstances, her body had learned to endure the medication after the first dose (she thought perhaps the reishi were partly to blame for their adverse effects), and her spirit, despite the initial shock of things, was stable. Already, she thought she was developing some sort of immunity, both to those drugs and to Aizen's nauseating presence.

With a slight smile playing on her lips, Haru stretched again and returned to her back, gazing at the illusory sky above her with longing. _It's hard to believe that Aizen-sama built a place like this. I can't imagine him missing anything, let alone something as simple as the sky. _Haru's eyes fell shut for a moment so she could savor the touch of pale light, a pale light that lacked any warmth. _Gin-san was right… this place is close to perfect in appearance, but without the warmth, it's nothing but a sham. Kuso… I'd give anything to feel the real sun…_

_Our time has not yet come, _Suzaku responded simply. Lately, it had been a favorite mantra of hers, one that always caused Haru to sigh dolefully and wish for a different reality.

_I have adjusted to this environment. Still, I cannot shake that feeling… that most of the people here hate me and want me dead. I suppose the important one is the exception to the rule. _As much as she hated to admit it, Aizen had been a tremendous help. He had given her space, but he hadn't stopped his observations. Periodically, she would catch him gazing too long or looking at her strangely, as if he saw not her but a phantom in her shape. His smile never changed, not even when she huffed in offense or bowed her head to hide the repulsion in her eyes. "It is difficult to unlearn an emotion," she had told him when he had so abruptly requested an explanation for her odium. "Give it time, Aizen-sama. I'm making an effort."

Add that to the fact that he had not locked her up again, and she had no choice but to see him as benevolent. There was one particular instance that lingered on her mind, though. On one occasion, she had left her glasses in plain sight, and upon returning to her quarters found them stolen. There was no other sign of entry, forced or otherwise, but only a few hours elapsed before Grimmjow came to fetch her on Aizen's orders. She questioned him about the occasion, but the espada had nothing to say. Haru soon had the privilege of asking her summoner, who extended the very article that had been stolen much to Haru's discontent.

"You will be more careful with them in the future, Haru." As she took them, Haru noticed his hand lingered too long and drew the article, and all, away with as much haste as she could muster. Her eyes glinted as she examined him. Then, she bowed slightly and stood upright again, locking her gaze on him again.

"And you," she had answered in a moment of purely vehement audacity, "will be so kind as to leave my things where they belong." He didn't look surprised that she knew. He only smiled that same smile, approving or otherwise, as Haru whirled away. She couldn't help but count herself lucky as she withdrew that nothing more had been stolen, for if he had looked hard enough, he would have found behind her violin case every component of her old uniform which, despite her claims, she fully intended to wear again. _I could have lost so much more. _She stretched a hand across her stomach, which demanded food. _It should almost be lunch time. Aizen-sama will be looking for me… _Haru's thoughts paused as she raised her eyes to the clouds once more. _Perhaps it's better to let him look for me for a bit. I'm enjoying myself, and besides, he's caused me plenty of trouble in the past few days… _Haru withdrew her glasses and examined them, watching the light play on their rims. _They feel so tainted, _she thought with a sigh. Then again, there was hope if she could find the other pair when she got back to Soul Society. _Kuso… I want to go back now…_

_Our time has not yet come, _Suzaku repeated.

_I know, _she replied. _I'm trying to be patient, but for the gods' sakes, you can't blame me for wanting to leave. I mean, it is true that Aizen-sama has been rather hospitable considering the circumstances, and he feeds me three square meals a day, even though they're usually laced with medication that attacks my limiters… by now, he easily could have killed me, especially with that nasty bout I had when I first got here. _Haru sighed herself through her inner silence, folding her hands behind her head. _It seems now that I've adjusted to the reishi, I can stomach whatever he slips into my food without getting too lightheaded. Usually, I have to sleep for a few hours, but…_

_Haru-sama, _her zanpakutoh interrupted, _you seem to be growing comfortable with the idea of being here. Do not forget that you are being deceived. _Haru took the words to heart and reached up for the sun.

_I know, _Haru replied. _It's strange, but I feel at home here. The environment is pretty hospitable, and most of the occupants are despicable. Even so, if I don't feel comfortable, I won't be able to keep up any sort of ruse._

_I know, _Suzaku answered, _but if you grow too comfortable, you may forget why you came here in the first place._

_Hai, _she answered. _Suzaku, you seem to know more about my limiters than I do. Can you tell me if they are holding up?_

_They are… for the moment. They were rather unstable because of the reishi in the beginning, and the medication did them no good. Still, your hypothesis seems to be correct. You seem to be adjusting to all the elements of your new environment. _Suzaku paused for a long moment, and Haru opened her eyes, glancing to her left, where she almost expected to see her zanpakutoh beside her.

_Suzaku…_

_Not long ago, you told me you wanted the second risen form. Well, I shall give it to you._

_Really?_

_I need four days to forge it._

_How did I know something like that was coming?_

_Leave me to my meditation, and I will bring you a flame of infinite power._

_The name isn't literal, is it?_

_It is more figurative, _she answered. Haru shut her eyes momentarily. _Will you… be alright?_

_Of course. I'm more concerned about you. Are you sure you can do something like that with the environment you're in? What if someone tries tampering with you? _The silence that lingered after Haru's question was uncomfortable, but she soon received an answer that quieted her anxiety.

_Just as you are relying on fortune to present you with an opportunity, I am relying on fortune to keep me safe. Believe me when I say this: if something happens to me, you will feel it, not in your body, not even in your soul, but deep beyond your consciousness. You will know. _Haru waited for a moment, counting false clouds in a false sky and sat up with a sigh.

_I guess we have no choice, _she answered. _Just… stay safe, Suzaku._

_I beseech you to do the same, Haru-sama._ Suzaku soon fell silent and still altogether. Haru was familiar with the feeling. It was the calm before the storm, the feeling before a change occurred in her power. She had learned it well when in Soul Society, so this time, it did nothing to trouble her. Rather than fret, she reclined and returned to her original position, shutting her eyes for a moment as she perceived the sudden shift in reiatsu and the parting of reishi before a blade.

_Kuso… not this guy again… _Haru threw herself to the side as the blade swept through the place she had just been laying. Once she was on her feet, she flashed over its edge and flew towards the ground. From that distance, she couldn't read the shadows, but she could read the reishi, and they told her of the danger closing in from behind. Sighing, she reached behind her and yanked her Seele Schnieder free, then began counting silently to herself. When she reached the critical point, she materialized a blade and drove it into the wall, biting her lip as her arm jolted. Sure enough, a white shape flew past her and landed below in the sand. Hanging from her weapon, she sighed with relief until she felt another disturbance. _From below… _Once he closed in, she pulled her weapon free and turned her body so it sailed just over the scythe-like blade. It came so close to cutting her back that she felt a jolt of anxiety race through her, but she ignored her discomfort and adjusted her stance so she would land on her feet.

Crouching on the sand, she stood and flashed out of sight. _Honestly, I don't know what his fascination is with trying to kill me, but his movements are too obvious… _Haru cut upwards and blocked his sword, then changed directions. _He's a bit like Zaraki Kenpachi, but at the same time, he reminds me a little of Takumi. I'm not sure why, though… perhaps it is because when I fought him, he was out for blood, too. _Haru glanced at him as the chains from his weapon rattled, but she predicted where it was moving and thrust her foot against it to prevent him from following through with the stroke. Carefully maneuvering her body, she stood on the long metal pole and raised a hand. "Soukatsui." A blaze of blue fire raced across the sand as Haru flashed off of his blade and retreated. She kept the kidou at a low enough emission so it wouldn't be harmful; she only wanted to stun him long enough so she could retreat. As with other days, her tactic worked. She made it back to the threshold and pulled the door shut behind her. Once she was surrounded by darkness, she slid into a sitting position so she could recover her breath. _Even if I have adjusted to the reishi content, it is still difficult to fight under these conditions. _She threw one eye at the Seele Schnieder and immediately realized it warranted a closer look.

_Strange, _she thought, touching the blade. _Yesterday, the spirit particles I amassed were at fourteen million vibrations per second, as they should have been, but today… _She raised the glowing mass and peered at its light, whose color suggested what Haru thought was a puzzling change. _Today, it's approaching fifteen. It's so much lighter than yesterday… _Haru held back her expletives and settled for scattering its components. _Either they are in higher concentration, or as I think the case is, their vibrations are approaching the threshold… sixteen million per second. When that happens, the spirit particles will glow white, and… _

Hearing steps, Haru immediately hid her weapon at her back. It was her custom to carry it with her despite the risk involved. She relied on good fortune to keep it hidden. Besides, Aizen couldn't honestly expect her to walk around the place unarmed. _Otherwise, he would have gotten me the first time. _Gritting her teeth, she pressed her back against the wall and began to rise with difficulty, holding her right shoulder because she had jolted it so hard in her descent. She couldn't help but wince and sag against it despite the approaching footsteps. After crawling into a corner, she curled up defensively and peered into the darkness with one eye. All she could do then was wait and feel terribly alone. For a moment, she forgot that her zanpakutoh was in a deep meditative state and silently called part of her name, but when the realization dawned upon her that she would receive no answer, Haru felt a pang of pain within her as her heart sank into oblivion.

A shadow appeared at the end of the hall. She recognized it and had a feeling that she shouldn't be found, even if it was only Grimmjow. For once, Haru prayed that his curiosity did not get the best of him, but before she could wish any harder, he had turned down the hallway and began walking towards her. Wavering on what to do, she shut her eyes. It hurt to think, but Haru didn't care. She called out silently to whoever else would hear her. She thought of familiar things, hoping that those thoughts would pacify her, but they only made her more anxious to leave. _Another four days at least… that will make twelve or thirteen… and I'm no closer to doing what I came here to do now than I was when I got here. Kuso…_

"Oi, chibi roku…" Haru's eyes shot open to find that Grimmjow had not only found her, but that was now studying her from far too close a distance, and with pupils that seemed to have widened in the darkness. Remembering her minor injury, she hissed as he touched her shoulder and tried to back away, but doing so proved futile because it also irritated her back.

"Not so close," she whispered, trying not to sound as vulnerable as she really was. Grimmjow obediently backed off and watched patiently for a moment, until Haru dove into her knees and shivered.

"Somethin' happen?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary," she replied calmly. "Just a brush with death."

"Don't be so casual about it!"

"Gomen," she stated, laughing nervously but not raising her eyes. "But things like that are commonplace with me. I can't help but treat them as such."

"Then why're you shaking so badly?"

"Because I don't have to face them every day without being fully equipped," Haru admitted, raising eyes that were filled with fear. "I don't mean to complain. I shouldn't have to carry a zanpakutoh when I'm among allies, but when one of those allies is a bit mad with bloodlust, would it be too much to ask to grant me a means of protecting myself? My martial art skills aren't exactly…"

"Good?"

"Baka neko," she retorted. "I wasn't going to say good. I was going to say… proficient."

"Yeah, sure. Either way, what it comes down to is you're defenseless when you're alone, but you insist on wandering off anyway."

"I needed some time to think," Haru answered, "and I don't exactly get a lot of thinking done when I'm under Aizen's scrutiny or the influence of whatever the hell he is lacing the sugar with."

"Well, even when ya go off alone, ya don't seem to get much thinking done." Haru silently admitted that he had a point, though she hated to. Sighing heavily, she pulled herself to her feet and wrapped one hand around her shoulder. "Who's been going after you?"

"I'm not sure what his name is, but he's of a higher rank than you. I can tell that just by his reiatsu."

"Is he pale?"

"It's not Ulquiorra," Haru answered. Of course, Grimmjow had goaded her into telling him everything with his incorrect assumption. She told it with a straight face, and in the end, he seemed more troubled by it than she had. "He sort of reminds me of… the person who was going to be my vice-captain."

"You mean that scrawny kid I nearly took out?" Grimmjow demanded as he stood and took three paces towards Haru. He would have finished his approach had not her reiatsu shifted dangerously at that moment. Her body seemed unaffected, but a peculiar blaze burned in her eyes as she turned them on him, almost as if her pupils were illuminated with the silvery inner light she had locked away. "Your comparison is faulty. He could never beat an espada."

"I meant in terms of weaponry and features. I mean, they really look nothing alike, but both of them use scythes, and no thanks to you, both of them only have one eye."

"That Nnoitora bastard," Grimmjow growled, pacing ahead of her.

"Nnoitora?" Haru discerned an affirmative from Grimmjow's voice. Still, she couldn't fully ignore the fury that was laced through his tone, either, as he led her through the hallways in the direction of her own quarters.

"He'd kill anyone if he had the chance. Besides, there's still doubt among the higher ranks that you're really on our side. You should probably be more careful until they accept it."

"H… hai, Grimmjow-san," she murmured, bowing her head. He seemed remorseful for having to keep an eye on her. In fact, he easily detected that Haru needed some time alone, but that was something he couldn't permit her.

"If you ever want a change of scenery, come tell me. I'll go wherever you want." When he glanced back to Haru, he saw that she wasn't even absorbing his words, that she had withdrawn into some heightened stage of thought that he could not easily break through. Furrowing his brow, he growled and turned around.

"Sumimasen. I didn't mean to ignore you. I only wonder…" Haru raised her eyes and slid one index finger up the bridge of her nose, realizing that it was completely devoid of her glasses and sighing with irritation. "If Aizen-sama isn't going to kill me, and he isn't going to make me fight, then what exactly is his intention, forcibly medicating me this way? You say it's to break my limiters, yet why would he need to do that? There has to be some deeper meaning behind it all…"

"Perhaps I can tell you." Realizing immediately that the voice wasn't Grimmjow's, nor was it familiar in any manner, she darted behind her escort as he whirled around and peered tentatively around him. "Yare, yare, your reaction certainly is unpredictable…" Haru glanced up at Grimmjow and saw he was rather ill at ease. Wondering if the espada before them was of higher or lower number, Haru shut her eyes and gauged their reiatsu. Grimmjow's was definitely higher… well, at least he could defend her if need be. While she despised relying on him for protection, she knew that it was better than letting herself die. "I don't believe we've ever formally been introduced. I am octava espada, Szayel Aporro Grantz."

"H… hajimimashite," Haru murmured, still feeling a little timid because of his aura. _There is something strong about it… the power itself is pretty typical, but that something… _Her eyes widened slightly as a thought crossed its mind. _Has he… been researching something? _The analytical air hanging about him was so deep that it was oppressive. Immediately, Haru's shock turned to a glare, and she began in the other direction. Unfortunately, he wasn't about to let her go, not after he had waited so patiently for their encounter. Grimmjow couldn't stop him as he flashed out of sight and reappeared in front of Haru using sonido. Startled, she stopped but didn't withdraw.

"I hear you're a very… interesting shinigami."

"Who in heaven's name told you that?"

"Who else but Aizen-sama?" Haru clenched her fist and sharpened her glare until she perceived a hand moving towards her. With equal speed, she flashed around him and reappeared at his back, facing him with the faintest traces of discomfort on her face. "You certainly are flighty, and that isn't the least bit interesting."

"Back off," Grimmjow stated flatly.

"Relax. I'm just here do to a preliminary examination, and to offer her what she needs."

"What I need?" Haru repeated. "I don't need anything."

"Yare, yare… and here, I was thinking you were some kind of prodigy. Obviously, you need some way of coping with the drugs in your body." Haru's expression turned grim, and her eyes sank closed as the recollection overtook her. "Perhaps I can tell you something."

"Are you even authorized to?" Grimmjow demanded.

"Well, it would make things a little more interesting if she could put up a fight, wouldn't it?" Haru glanced to her escort, but he said nothing. He simply threw his leer in some other direction.

"I'm listening," she stated with more confidence than she had initially used.

"Chibi…"

"Grimmjow-san, while I appreciate your concern, might I remind you that Szayel-san is also my ally, and therefore, we have no need to fear him?" She asked with her eyes that he try to understand her decision because the matter was so important. Having no other choice, he swallowed the gall that rose in him and turned away, clenching his fist with a huff. "Please proceed, Szayel-san."

"Follow me." She started after him, but only continued until she realized that Grimmjow wasn't following them. After asking him politely to wait, she raced back and seized his arm with a vigor she seldom expressed. Again with the eyes… she was trying to tell him something, but he hadn't the least bit of time to discern it. Before he knew it, she had tugged twice on his arm, imploring him to follow, and though he got the feeling that Haru was not trying to convey that desire, he threw the matter into the back of his mind. "And here, I was hoping it would just be the two of us…"

"I'm sure you were," Grimmjow retorted, causing Haru to throw a cautionary glance back at him.

"Sumimasen, Szayel-san, but I'm terrible with directions. Besides, if I recall correctly, Grimmjow-san was the one appointed to escort me."

"Understandable, as he is nearly in the middle, and he isn't quite as battle-crazed as Nnoitora is…" Haru flinched at the sound of the name and tried to hide her anxiety. "Though how exactly you can fend him off is a mystery I would simply love to research…" Unable to restrain himself any longer, Grimmjow shoved Haru roughly out of the way and lurched forward, seizing Szayel's collar and slamming him against a wall. As he raised a fist to give him a piece of his mind using force, he felt something latch onto his arm. Glaring at Haru, he tried to shake her off, but she seemed pretty adamant about letting go.

"Yamenasai, Grimmjow-san."

"Don't you get it? He's been…"

"I understand that perfectly well, but hitting him won't accomplish anything." A feral snarl rose in his throat, but Haru remained unfazed. She clutched his arm with her hands, which were trembling mainly because had thrown her against a wall and she had just happened to strike the shoulder she had injured. Still, her gaze didn't waver one bit; for that reason and that alone, he granted her request. Sighing with relief, she placed a hand to her head and continued to follow him, listening to Grimmjow's steps behind her. From there, she could detect his fury, and she couldn't exactly say she was happy with the situation, either. Despite masking her reiatsu entirely, Szayel seemed to have one way or another of detecting her. Stranger still, he seemed more than willing to share that information with Nnoitora. Still, she had to swallow her revulsion, if only for the sake of finding what she was looking for.

* * *

Takumi gritted his teeth as the punch threw him against a wall, keeping his eye shut so he could fully consider his situation. He couldn't say he didn't deserve it. After all, the fifth division members clearly resented his presence; they had ever since his first day, and they would probably continue resenting it if she ever returned and fulfilled her promise. If… Takumi contemplated the awful weight of the word as a foot flew against his stomach and caused him to slump down, winded by the mere effort. If things went on as they were, then he would have to endure more avoidable complications than he ever had in his entire life… not that he wasn't already enduring some.

"Come on, akuma. Aren't you going to fight back?" Takumi peered for a moment at the five or six squad members above him, then passively dropped his eye to the ground. "Chh… come on, I heard you were vicious and bloodthirsty. At least try to defend yourself."

"If that's what you want," Takumi said, spitting the blood out of his mouth and aiming it directly at their feet, "then I definitely won't."

"You damn devil." At some point, a foot slammed against the side of his ribs, effectively flattening him and causing him to curl defensively into a ball. He felt the lines spread across his arm and wind around his hand, and he effectively hid that, too, by covering his ears and breathing a sigh of relief that, for once, Akumashoku had decided to take his right hand instead of his left. Still, his left eye was pretty vulnerable, and as he felt the blade of a sword graze his temple, a wave of panic swept through him. Still, they could see nothing because his hair draped itself over his face in such a manner that concealed his disfigurement. Even as he prepared himself for something far worse, he felt the subtle vibration of a pair of feet approaching at a run, and suddenly, a shadow threw itself in front of him. Startled, he let his right eye open and lock on the silhouette. He tried to say her name but found the task impossible, especially now that his left eye was uncovered… closed and shielded by hair, but that was inadequate.

"Yamenasai," she said fiercely.

"You've got to be kidding. He's a demon."

"If you ask me, you're the demons. If you don't leave him alone, I'll…"

"You'll what? Report our misconduct to the captain? What captain?" Hinamori said nothing; she had to accept the blow of his words in silence. She glanced back to Takumi for a moment, then threw her resolved gaze forward again. "Get out of the way. We don't have business with you."

"I'm your vice-captain, and I order you to…"

"Please," retorted the disorderly, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. "Your power left with Aizen. You're nothing more than a regular division member now." Takumi wouldn't have moved if it hadn't been for the fact that he saw quite clearly that they were thinking of taking out the rest of their aggression on her. As his assailant pulled back his arm to throw a punch, Takumi shot to his feet and seized the fist before it even finished its preparations. In that same moment, he pushed Hinamori behind him, shielding her with one arm.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he murmured in a dark tone. "You see, I can take punches. I really don't care much about myself, but her…" Takumi applied pressure to the closed fingers and raised his one eye. The scar on his face became more noticeable when his eye patch was missing, but its defining feature remained covered by his golden hair. "If you even touch her, I'll make you wish you had never been born."

"That's more like it," one of the others said, drawing his sword. "Show us what you've got, demon."

"My name is Fujiwara Takumi," he answered. "I expect you to address me properly."

"Beat us in a fight, and maybe we'll think about it."

"Takumi," Hinamori pleaded, wrapping one hand around his right wrist. She saw the dark smile spread across his face as he bowed his head.

"Beat you?" he said slowly. "I would murder each and every one of you if Momo weren't here, but the fact remains that I can't." He twisted his hand so it seized her own and turned his foot on the pavement slightly. "So sorry, but that fight will have to take a raincheck. Bakudou no jyuuuni: genwakusenkou!" In the blinding flash of light Takumi left behind, none of his attackers could make sense of the situation until the brilliance cleared and revealed nothing where they had once stood. By then, he had flashed out of sight and was racing along the empty streets, pulling Hinamori behind him because he had forgotten he was holding onto her. She ran without argument, unable to hide the troubled expression on her face, which grew more troubled as he threw an indiscriminate door open, threw her inside in front of him, and sealed off the light behind him.

For a tense moment, only their breathing hung in the air, but a moment later, Hinamori's anger erupted. "Baka!" she shouted, watching Takumi sag against the door and peer at an indiscriminate corner of the room with his remaining eye. "Have you no pride, Fujiwara Takumi? You were willing to let yourself get messed up pretty badly, and what for? Just because you're afraid to fight them?" He said nothing; he simply continued staring at his corner, which frustrated her even more. As her hand swept harshly across his face, he turned his head in the other direction, startled at the fact that he had been hit but more so at the force behind the strike. His trembling hand moved to the red imprint that now adorned his other cheek, and he peered up at her with the naivety of a child who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. A hint of remorse raced across her expression, but she shoved her guilt aside in order to continue expressing her frustration. "You said you were a vice-captain before. Where has that Takumi gone?"

"He's dead," he retorted, covering the left side of his face and staggering past her. He stumbled on air and fell to one knee, gritting his teeth as his weight fell on his right wrist. Perceiving his own helplessness and his own pitiful condition, he heaved a sigh and adjusted his posture to a sitting one, realizing he could go no further with the way things were. Already, he perceived the blood rising in his throat, and he swallowed it with difficulty.

"Where have you taken me?"

"Just a little place I call home."

"Nande?" Takumi smiled grimly and turned his head slightly. She saw the blood running down the left side of his face and grimaced, realizing that his eye patch had been knocked off at some point. Of course, all she had seen up to that point was his back, so she couldn't exactly say she had had time to notice.

"This is the only place I can honestly say I'm safe. Besides, I'm in no condition to work, and if I had left you there…" He paused and debated on continuing, then decided against it with a difficult sigh. "Gomen…"

"Baka," she murmured. "What are you sorry for?"

"I'm deadweight to you, I'm getting in your way, and I'm causing trouble for you."

"Please… the trouble started long before I met you. Besides," she continued kneeling in front of him and poking his forehead with her index finger. "A wise idiot once told me not to apologize without just cause."

"That wasn't what I said."

"I'm paraphrasing," she answered. Suddenly, her brow furrowed, and her hand spread out over his head. "You've got a fever. You haven't been eating, and you haven't been sleeping much, either."

"I'm fine."

"You're far from fine. Add that to the fact that you're injured, and…"

"I can take care of myself," he interrupted, blurting the words out before Hinamori could even offer anything. She blinked, bewildered that he seemed to know exactly what she had intended to say, and removed her hand from his forehead. "I keep leaning on you. It's dangerous, both for you and for me. If you knew what I knew, you would just get up and walk away."

"Honestly," she stated, sitting down in front of him. "I told you before, we need to stick together. If we didn't have each other, then who else would we have?"

"You have friends in high places, if I understand correctly," Takumi murmured, shaking his head to recall himself to consciousness. "Hitsugaya Toushiro, jyuu bantai taicho, and two vice captains, to boot… Kira Izuru from the third division, and Abarai Renji of the sixth. Your past with them cements your fates and intertwines them. You would have a better future if you remained closer to them." Hinamori paused and glanced at him, realizing that his head was tilted so his hair parted slightly. The two scars Grimmjow had left on the side of his face were clear, as was the laceration along his left temple, but the true scar remained hidden.

"You speak as if you know."

"Perhaps I do," he answered. Hinamori finished her arrangements and paced over to him, kneeling before him as she had before and setting about examining his injuries, feeling the place he had been kicked. Takumi threw his head back with a hiss and slumped against her shoulder, drawing his breaths quicker than he had been.

"Takumi…" she said quietly. "What you're saying… it's impossible." He scoffed quietly and shook his head, letting his open eye drift closed as she continued working despite the extra weight against her shoulder.

"Nothing is impossible," he said with a suddenness that made her stiffen.

"Look, shinigami have been trying for centuries to get a glimpse of the future. Are you saying that you've finally solved their dilemma? Or is that the fever talking?" Takumi didn't speak, and for a moment, she thought he had fallen asleep. She pushed him back to brush the hair away from his missing eye and examine the wound along his temple, but he struck her hand away before it arrived at its destination. Takumi peered at her as if he perceived what he had done, and remorsefully diverted his gaze.

"I can't let you see it."

"Why not?"

"Because you would fear me, and I can hardly stand the thought of that, let alone the reality of it."

"Look, I don't mind the scars. Watching was the worst part. The emptiness that's there…"

"The scars aren't the problem," he countered, forcing himself to stand again and immediately swaying. Hinamori caught his arm and led him deeper into the house, listening carefully until she heard a chime and then shoving the door open. After asking him to stand for a moment, she spread out his futon, not minding at all that he watched her work. When she was finished, she beckoned to him and stated quite firmly that he needed to remain upright. "Nande?"

"I only need you to stay awake until I'm finished. Do you have any bandages in here? And some antiseptic would be helpful…"

"What exactly are you doing?"

"I told you before, I'm going to treat your wounds."

"And I told you before, I can take care of myself."

"Don't argue with me, Fujiwara Takumi. Right now, I'm not sure which one of us would win in a spar, but you sure as hell can't win an argument against me, not now, and not ever. Now, I need you to take off your haori."

"I thought you said you were going to treat my wounds," he countered with a devious smile.

"I am, but if I recall correctly, you took a good kick to the ribs before I could stop them." Surprised that she remembered, he threw his eye to the floor. "Look, it's either your head or your ribs first. You take your pick. I'll be right back."

"Second drawer in the kitchen," he said without thinking. Once she was gone, Takumi swore and touched the left side of his face, running one finger along the scars and over the eye that was hidden beneath its lid. _He gave me this eye, but if anyone besides Hajime and Mari-onee ever saw it, it would only confirm their suspicions that I'm a demon. _Sighing heavily, he bowed his head and let himself think for a moment as the chime coaxed him into a meditative state. _I feel cold… distant… a little dizzy… _He touched his side and flinched at the slightest pressure. _If she thinks I'm going to sit still while she mothers me, she has another thing coming. I'd rather die than drag her farther into this._

_Don't use such strong language, Takumi, _his sword answered as he pulled it out of his obi and laid it next to the futon. _You will do as she says, or else I'll find ways to make you more obedient._

_And here, I thought you were done threatening me, _he retorted inwardly, knowing that his statement was merely a threat. Takumi glanced up to see Hinamori returning through the door, balancing the materials necessary for her task. She set them all down in an orderly fashion and cleared her throat. "Nani?"

"Did you decide?"

"I decide neither. I'll do it myself."

"Takumi…"

"Look, it's embarrassing. If I asked you to start taking your clothes off, what would you say?" Her face turned beat red at his comment, and she instantly glanced away. "That's what I thought. You'd tell me to get lost. Go to hell. You'd probably even hit me. Am I wrong?"

"It's completely different!"

"Yeah, sure…"

"Come on… I saw you training, remember? It isn't like I haven't already seen it."

"From a distance," Takumi retorted, "and besides, when you drew your sword, you kept your eyes on my face the whole time."

"Then I'll take care of your head first." He seized her wrist as it moved forward and peered critically at her, drawing an anxious breath and not releasing it.

"I can't let you do that." As he spoke, his eye drifted shut, and he bowed his head so his hair fanned out across the left side of his face. The fingers enclosing her wrist were trembling, and his expression was something like a grimace and a determined, protective look. Hinamori hesitated for a moment, then spoke, touching the hand around her wrist and causing is azure eye to flash up to her immediately.

"Are you hiding something?"

"What would I be hiding from you?"

"You mean other than your scars?" she said quietly. "Look, I said I didn't care about them. After all, I saw it happen."

"You saw an illusion."

"An illusion?" Hinamori echoed. "You can't possibly say that was an illusion! I saw you hit the pavement. I remember screaming because I was so horrified. I remember taichou dueling the espada, even though she was only at ten percent. I remember watching Ichigo carry her back, and I remember Tessai-san carrying you, and the whole time, I was wondering which of you would wake up first, or if you would ever wake up at all. How can you say all of that is an illusion?" Takumi swallowed to clear his mouth of the bitter taste that permeated every corner. He knew that taste well; it only surfaced when someone was about to reject him. In this, he had only been wrong once, and that was with Haru, but she didn't count as much at the moment, not with his present obstacle staring him in the face.

"Gomen," he stated shamefully. "I can't tell you."

"Damn it, Takumi… just let me in already!"

"You have other people you care about! Why not exert this concern towards them rather than squander it on me?"

"Maybe it's because I feel guilty!"

"You've got nothing to feel guilty for!"

"Are you kidding me? I followed a man who wants to destroy Soul Society for nearly fifty years, Takumi. I hurt a lot of people because I was too blind to see the truth. Maybe I didn't want to see it… maybe he was so captivating that I…" Takumi glanced up at her, trying to hide the criticism in his eyes. He had always been judged by others, yet now he was judging. Perhaps it was because he hated himself so much that he dared to look with both eyes, forgetting exactly who or what he was dealing with. It frustrated him that she wasn't looking, and for some reason, her pain frustrated him even more. His hand flinched, and he raised it to cover his left eye, which continued peering at her through his fingers even when he tried to close it.

_Damn… _he thought. _What can I say to something like that? She's got me stumped… not that my condition is helping… kuso, say something, Takumi. You can't just let her sit there like that, even if you're afraid. _Sighing with difficulty, he threw his gaze to the adjacent wall, then shut his eyes and let his hands work. The rustle of fabric caught her attention, and the irate glimmer of Takumi's eyes made her blink in bewilderment.

"Hurry up," he stated, glancing at her and then looking quickly away. "I'm cold."

"Your eye…"

"I'll explain later," he interrupted, clutching the folds of his hakama in his hands. "Just… hurry up."

"Hai," she answered, immediately setting to work on examining the nasty bruise at the side of his rib cage. Hinamori peered up at him, interpreting his silence as anger or judgment, but she didn't let her trepidation stop her from her work. As she daubed a bit of the antiseptic on his wound, he hissed as he drew a breath, then hunched over gasping. "Daijoubu desu ka?" A flash of crimson emerged from between his golden locks, and he nodded his head with difficulty before averting his gaze again.

"Can you tell me what it's like?"

"Come again?"

"I'm asking you what it's like to feel for someone as strongly as you do for Aizen."

"Did," Hinamori corrected him as she hastily wound his wound in bandages. "Why are you asking me that?"

"I feel like it's worth investigating. I asked onee-chan, but she didn't really answer me. She got all awkward about it, probably because the guy she's got her eye on happens to be a friend of mine, and because I tease her about him all the time."

"I never knew you were the type," she answered in a wry tone.

"Look, if you don't want to talk about it…" Takumi trailed off, glancing at her again with his left eye. Her hands stopped moving as her own gaze locked on it. The color was just as intense as it had been, only now it was blood red instead of electric azure. There were two scars across his eye, both of them likely claw marks from his prior encounter with Grimmjow. They ran from the middle of his cheek up to just below his eyebrow. Hers fell together in thought as she continued in silence, tying off the knot with a sigh and wiping her forehead.

"It's like walking on water," Hinamori decided, tilting her head. "You're struggling not to fall in the whole time, and once you do, then you can't do anything to pull yourself out. The currents are too strong, the waves to high, the tides too powerful… you're swept away, and every part of you is thrown into confusion because you don't know what to do. You don't know whether to flounder against it or just let yourself sink. When you try to breathe, you find you can't, and if you happen to, you do so only to find yourself choking."

"Souka," he murmured, bowing his head with a smile.

"Nani? What is that look for?"

"Betsuni… except I think it's wonderful that you can admit to having had those kinds of feelings."

"You don't care?"

"Maybe it bothers me," Takumi answered, peering at the ceiling, "but in case you haven't noticed, I'm in no position to judge anyone, not after having to endure the judgment of others on a daily basis." The weight in his voice was nearly unbearable, but at the same time, it had a quality that Hinamori had never heard before. After shifting her position, she pushed his hair aside and leaned closer to get a better look of the cut on the side of his face. The whole time, that intense crimson eye peered at her, flickering with some pale fire that seemed to burn on the surface of water. She drew back for a moment to daub the corner of a cloth in antiseptic before returning to her original position.

"This might sting." She felt his breath brush against the side of her face, noting that he seemed to be in less pain than he had with the prior wound. "You're an idiot for not fighting back."

"What good would that have done?" he countered, trying to remain still as she applied some sort of adhesive bandage to the side of his face. "People like them rely on what they hear from others and what they glimpse on the surface. They don't bother digging any deeper than that, so fighting back would only make me more of a demon to them."

"You aren't a demon. You're a shinigami."

"How can you say that even after seeing my left eye?" Hinamori drew back, but her hand lingered and changed direction, brushing against the claw marks on his face and causing both of his eyes to widen.

"I don't understand how this happened," she answered steadily. "I saw this eye ripped clean out of your skull, and all that blood on your face. I saw Inoue-san try to heal it, and I watched her fail. I saw you beg taichou to forget your petition to be her vice-captain, and just as quickly, I saw you change your mind. So, I understand you perfectly well; I see the kind of person you are. The only thing I don't understand is how you have an eye now when you didn't have one before."

"It doesn't bother you?"

"Maybe a little," she countered, causing his surprise to melt into a grateful smile as he bowed his head.

"Arigato…" Takumi murmured. "Hontou ni… arigato." Once he had pulled on the sleeves of his shihakusho and rearranged his garments, he finally allowed himself to lie down. He realized that she left for a moment, but only to get a bowl of cold water and a cloth. She moistened it and laid it on his brow as he gazed up at her with his mismatched eyes. Hinamori finished her task, folded her hands in her lap, and waited. "You aren't going to let this go, are you?"

"Hey, you made me answer."

"That is true," he stated with a slight laugh, but such efforts caused him more pain than comfort. As Takumi let his eyes drift shut and began to search for the right words, his smile dissolved into an expression of sorrow. It was a gamble, telling her what he had told Hajime, but it was a risk he was willing to take. He couldn't see anything in her that spoke of deception, and knowing full well how much she had been hurt by betrayal in the past, he didn't see her as capable of inflicting any such pain on another person. The matter was so convoluted, though, and so difficult to put into words, that his only doubt was in his own abilities to stay awake until he finished.

* * *

Haru peered intensely at the table before her, counting squares as her logic was pushed to the limits. Grimmjow had deterred her, but she hadn't listened; she hadn't cared about IQs or perfect records. All she cared about was the information that she sought. "I heard from Aizen-sama that you enjoyed gambling," Szayel had said to her as they paced through the hallways.

"I wouldn't exactly say 'enjoy,' but I can say I perform well when the stakes are raised."

"Then how about you gamble with me?" The odds were against her, and the stakes were definitely high. She had caught on quickly to the pattern of movements he used in chess. In all honestly, she was not unfamiliar with it, as she had seen her father and grandfather play it once when she was a child. The stakes had been high then, too… they had gambled on Haru's fate, and her father had thankfully won. Now, almost eleven years later, she was gambling on her fate again. "If you lose this game, you will agree to become my test subject."

"Like hell!" Grimmjow had snarled, but a look from Haru silenced any further rebellion.

"To be honest, even if you are only a shinigami, I find you very interesting. I would like to study the composition of your body and your spiritual power." She knew it would involve untold amounts of physical and mental agony without even asking him. "But if you win, I'll give you the antidote to the medications Aizen-sama has been slipping you so you can spare your limiters." Haru peered at him for a moment, her eyes glazed over with composure despite the situation. The game was winding down; there were still thirteen pieces left on the board between the two of them, and he was leading by one. Still, she had an advantage: her queen still stood, and as long as she had that, then there was an inkling of hope. She studied all the moves she could make, realizing that she would have to make another sacrifice.

_If he keeps forcing me into this position, I won't be able to attain checkmate. _Thankful that the timer was absent, she continued calculating. _I have two pawns, the queen, the king, a bishop, and a knight. Exactly how am I supposed to handle that? _Szayel had sacrificed all of his pawns early on. His strategy had seemed a little ruthless to her, and she was now learning first hand just how ruthless he could be. Peering up at him again, she detected some sadistic glimmer in his gaze and swallowed. She felt Grimmjow watching from his corner, uninterested in the game itself but waiting for the inevitable outcome. As she watched the pieces, the game played itself out before her, and with each move she made, she analyzed every possible move her opponent could make in turn. _He has me in a bad spot, but this isn't impossible. _She paused and rested a hand on one of her pawns, then drew back. _No… the sacrifice has to be high… _Her mind dictated the movement, and she let go of the piece.

"Yare, yare, you are quite the novice at this," he answered, tipping her queen over with a bishop. A sickening feeling sank into her stomach as it struck the board. "And here, I thought this would be a challenge."

"There is an old saying in quincy traditions: not even the strongest arrow can pierce the armor of a true king." Haru took the bishop with her rook after making sure all of her bases were covered. "Then again, you put no stock in saying such as that. Am I correct in this assumption, Szayel-san?" He made his move, and Haru saw his ploy. He was planning to put her in check. She moved her king one square right to avoid his remaining bishop. _This is like a duel. It is exactly like sparing with Byakuya-sama, only there are more pieces to keep track of. _Once Szayel made his move, a pitiful effort to regroup, she moved one pawn forward. He overlooked the insignificant piece for two turns, until it reached his side of the board. "Yare, yare," she murmured. "It seems the weak arrow has pierced your armor, Szayel-san." She couldn't refrain from smiling at the fascinated look on his face and the underlying desire to study her.

"Will you be taking your queen back?"

"If I may."

"So polite," he stated, swapping the white pawn for the queen he had just taken. The sadistic glimmer in his eyes chilled her to the bone, but she let the placid smile linger, just to keep him guessing. "Manners won't save you now."

_It's simple, _she thought, watching his move with careful eyes. _He is trying to lure me into sacrificing my queen again. That much, I can tell just by the placement of his pieces. What a pity… he's more predictable than I thought. Then again, the possibility remains that this is a ruse. _Haru moved her rook and called check. _It's all about keeping him in check now, and making sure he doesn't take any more of my pieces._ Haru's eyes darted about the board after every move he made. As she took the offensive, she saw her pieces dance. Her only remaining pawn became fodder for his ego, but she quickly turned the tables. Grimmjow glanced up every time she called check, noting that Szayel's expression was growing increasingly troubled. Haru's eyes were alight with something like joy. She relished the feeling of safety but didn't let it dull the blade of her reason. Every move she made was calculated, and she took the possible results into consideration before making it.

"Check," Szayel stated calmly, smiling sadistically. Grimmjow's head reeled, though he would never admit it, yet even his declaration didn't make Haru feel that her net of safety was tearing. She wouldn't let him turn the tables, and she wouldn't quit her offensive, not now when she was so close. Unrattled, Haru examined the board intensely. There was only one move left to make, and as she calmly slid her queen into alignment, she toppled the rook that threatened her king. With a careful and respectful hand, she removed the piece from the board and laid it to rest with its fallen comrades.

"Checkmate." Grimmjow flinched and looked up.

"You can't be serious!" he shouted, suddenly appearing at her side, yet even his untrained eye saw that the king was boxed in from all angles. It had been backed onto the edge, blocked by the knight on one side, the queen up front, the rook from the right corner of the board, and the bishop from the other corner. Sighing with relief, Haru wiped her brow and let herself smile as she pushed herself into a standing position. Stretching, she rubbed her shoulder and peered at Grimmjow, who was still throwing his eyes from her to the octava.

"I hope you are a man of your word, Szayel-san," she said, peering at him through half-lidded eyes and noting the wry displeasure in his expression. "And don't even think about lying, because dishonesty is the only thing in the world I can truly say I hate." His odium was undeniably potent, and Haru half-thought he would lunge at her if Grimmjow hadn't been standing between them, still studying the board with a completely flabbergasted look on his face. "Grimmjow-san mentioned before that Aizen-sama's aim is to undo my limiters, but something tells me that is only pretense. He wants to fight me at full strength, but for a reason other than defeating me. Tell me everything you can, Szayel-san, and if you would be willing to uphold the portion of your bet regarding the antidote, then I would be grateful."

"Your gratitude is insignificant," he retorted, standing and walking towards Haru. "Besides, I told you before that your manners will not save you." Haru retreated one step but kept her eyes locked on Szayel. A demonic desire raced for his eyes; he obviously wished to kill her, but some higher order bound him from doing so for the moment. He clenched his fist around his sword and glowered contemptuously at her, yet Haru remained unshaken. "Aizen-sama doesn't want to fight you. He wants to erase who you are."

"Erase me?"

"He wants to wipe your memories of Soul Society, of everything you've ever experienced away, and implant the memories of someone he claims to cherish in their place. I theorized in passing that releasing the limiter on your reiatsu may shatter your mind and scatter every bit of self-realization you have ever obtained. He wanted me to test that theory and psychologically make you someone else if I succeeded. So, he asked me to design a drug that was capable of weakening your limiters and your grasp on reality. I concocted a potent sedative that disrupts the neuron signals in the brain and also forces your own body to attack the limiter holding it together."

"What is the purpose of all that?" Haru asked.

"The answer to that question is far too dangerous to give to someone as insignificant as you," he stated in a dark tone, crossing the laboratory and pulling a bottle from the shelf. He tossed it to her and immediately turned away. "Put two drops of that in a glass of water and drink it after every meal. It should reverse whatever damage has been done and restore you to a stable condition. It will also prevent any further damage from being done. Now, leave." Haru nodded and bowed in thanks before approaching Grimmjow and gently shaking his arm. He glanced at her with slightly less loathing than he had initially shown her and led the way.

"Ano… arigato-gozaimasu, Szayel-san," she called before closing the door behind her. With a frustrated sigh, he collapsed into his chair and covered his face with one hand. Once a few moments had ticked by, he peered at the chessboard again, at his black king walled in by Haru's pieces. Despite the fact that he had lost the battle, he certainly had not lost the war. That thought caused a smile to spread across his face. There were definitely alternative ways to force Haru into an inescapable situation, and before he rested again, he resolved to pour every bit of technology and reasoning he had into finding them.

* * *

Takumi groaned and stirred as he heard his name spoken. His head throbbed incredibly, and he rubbed his right eye to clear sleep away from it. Though it was closed, his left eye had been hard at work, delving into matters he could never speak about. After all, that was the catch of his power, of his family's power. He could tell others of it, but he could never tell them what he saw with his left eye. When he finally opened them both, he turned to see his sister kneeling next to his futon. _That's strange… I thought someone else was here. _He let a breath leave his aching chest and parted his lips. They felt strangely dry, but that was the least of his concerns. His entire body felt weak and debilitated. His fever, he knew, had only worsened, but through the depths of his misery, he derived a sense of triumph. _Why do I feel this way? I haven't accomplished anything, not unless putting myself in this condition is an accomplishment._

"Takumi," she said again, "can you hear me?" He nodded and shut his eye again, having no desire to explain anything to anyone else. It had been hard enough explaining it to…

With a suddenness that startled her, Takumi sat bolt upright and gazed into the dimly lit room with both of his eyes. He shifted them and studied his surroundings, listening to his own breaths and struggling against the mighty downward rush of blood that caused him to feel dizzy. "Hey, hey… lay back down."

"Momo," he said at last, seizing her shoulders and throwing his eyes at her. The color sank out of her face, but she made no effort to pull away. "She was here, wasn't she?"

"If you mean that nice young lady who had the liberty to tell me exactly what was going on, then yes, she was here. She said you were sleeping in your room, which she took you to, and that she had treated you for some injuries you received earlier in a fight."

"I swear I didn't start it, onee-chan! I…"

"Hey!" she cried, catching her brother and returning him to a laying position. Her eyes flashed with anxiety that she couldn't help but feel. Seeing her brother in that condition always filled her with sorrow. With a careful hand, she plunged the cloth into some icy cold water and wrung it out. As she placed it on his head, he peered at her again, causing her to freeze. The glimmer in that crimson eye… it was nothing but pure power. After a moment, she bowed her head and smiled, smoothing his hair away from his forehead. "I know it isn't your fault, Takumi. It was never your fault that you picked fights when you were younger. You were just trying to protect yourself from others picking fights with you." He breathed a sigh of relief and turned his head to look at her.

"If you were in my situation, what would you have done, onee-chan?"

"That's obvious," she said, raising her fists to the air. "I would have pummeled their asses into next week. No one messes with me or my little brother. However…" She sighed and ran her fingers through her boyishly short hair and looked down at him again. "That is the mentality of the whole tenth division. Defend your honor with your fists, or else sacrifice it to all the fancy tricks of kidou. And I know for a fact that that isn't the way you think. You never did. Sure, you fought, but you only fought because you had to. Even when you started it, you saw such measures as necessary." She turned her head and peered out the window, where the wind chime glimmered in the light of the setting sun and rattled slightly as a gentle breeze toyed with it. "For the life of me, I can't figure out why you would be so blind as to overlook the obvious need to fight back. They could have killed you."

"Because if I had, I would be exactly what they see me as," he murmured, not removing his gaze when her own fell to meet it. "They don't have the eyes to see the truth. I didn't wish to be like this; it's just the way I am. I'm not the demon they think I am. Maybe I just hoped that, if I didn't fight back, they would quit seeing me that way."

"What the hell kind of messed up logic is that?" Mari shouted. "You can't fix people, Takumi. They're going to think whatever they think until they decide to change." Sheepishly, he pulled the covers up to his eyes and closed them, not wanting her to see the expression on his face. "Hey… look at me. It's going to be all right. Things will work out."

"I lost my chance," he murmured. "I lost my chance when I let taichou leave. I'll probably never have another."

"Always the pessimist," Mari responded, coaxing one hand away from the covers and wrapping it in her own. "You'll have another chance. I promise."

"How do you know that? You can't see what lies beyond."

"Iie," she answered, "but I can see you here, and I can see perfectly clearly that you aren't ready to give up." Takumi peered at her for a few moments and let his eyes drift shut. His fingers twitched slightly as he returned his gaze to her. "Besides, you're head over heels for that Hinamori girl…"

"Onee-chan!" he shouted.

"I'm only stating what I observe."

"It isn't like that!" Takumi retorted, pulling away and burying himself beneath the covers.

"Takumi…"

"I don't want to hear it," he spat, keeping his back to her.

"I was merely going to offer you some food. It might help your condition if you actually start eating."

"I'm not hungry."

"Bull shit," she answered. Takumi heard her leave the room and emerged, his hair spread over his face.

_Kuso, _he thought, sitting up and clenching his hands around the covers. He allowed his right hand to brush against the scars on his face as his brows fell together in thought. _What am I going to do about this? I can't possibly go out in public… _Takumi enjoyed feeling less dizzy but flopped back down on the pillow anyway, covering his eyes with his hand and letting his mind drift for a moment.

When Mari returned, it was with a hefty portion of food, which he indulged in contently. "By the way, that girl came by a little while before you woke up. She said she found this." Mari placed the eye patch beside his pillow and folded her hands again. "She said it meant a lot to you, that it was a gift from someone you admire, and that you were still a little leery about showing that eye to anyone you don't trust." Takumi swallowed and glanced at her, then peered down at his meal, wondering why his face suddenly felt hot again. "Oh? So I was right… you do have a thing for her!"

"Urusai!" he commanded, shoveling food into his mouth at an alarming rate and stopping only long enough to add, "I could say the same about you and Hajime. You've had a thing for him for years, but you haven't done a damn thing about it." Mari gasped and covered her face, yelling at least a decade's worth of baka at him and threatening to pound him if he didn't show her more respect. Takumi smiled and bowed his head again, glancing at the eye patch and noting the sudden placidity that came over him. He decided in that moment that what amazed him most about the world was neither its cruelty nor its kindness, but the restorative powers of a simple meal combined with the familiar annoyance of someone he cherished.

* * *

"How stupid are you?" Grimmjow demanded, not changing any alteration in Haru's expression. "You know what he would have done to you if you had lost?"

"I am perfectly aware of the stakes I just laid on the table," Haru stated, "but why are you so upset that I won, Grimmjow-san?" He growled in irritation and threw his teal eyes to the wall, folding his arms. "If I'm becoming troublesome for you, then just say so."

"Quit changing the subject!"

"If you shut your mouth and opened your eyes, you would see that my gamble has more benefits than this antidote, if that is even what this is."

"How the hell can you say that?" he demanded.

"Simple," Haru answered, rising from her position and crossing the line he was pacing. When he saw the dark look in her eyes, he paused and actually staggered one step backward before catching himself. "It is clear to Szayel-san now that I am willing to play a high-stakes gamble, even if I am unsure of my victory, for the sake of maintaining what little freedom I have in dictating my actions. Furthermore, it shows him that I will not let anyone, not even Aizen-sama, decide my fate."

"You have one twisted logic, chibi roku."

"I told you before, I'm not a six anymore," she said, turning towards the bed and smoothing the tail of her haori-like garment as she seated herself again. "Neh, Grimmjow-san…"

"Hmm?"

"What do you think Szayel-san meant when he said Aizen-sama wanted to turn me into someone else?"

"How would I know?" the espada retorted, peering at Haru and immediately detecting the troubled expression on her face. "O… oi… what's with that look?"

"I'm not sure," she murmured, drawing her knees up and peering over them. "I just got a chill, as if the answer I'm looking for… would be enough to push me over the edge and drive me to madness." Haru peered at him, knitting her brows together as she ruminated over that lingering sense of danger she couldn't get rid of. "At any rate, if Nnoitora-san continues attacking me, I won't live long enough to find the answers I'm looking for."

"Don't talk so seriously."

"I can't take his attempts on my life lightly," Haru noted, rubbing her shoulder as she stared at the floor. "One of these days, I won't move quickly enough, or I'll forget to pay attention, and suddenly, I'll be carved in two pieces on the sand… if I'm lucky, it will only be two. He could mar my body beyond recognition easily in the condition I'm in…" Haru pulled the small bottle out of the folds of her haori and shook its contents, watching the iridescent liquid sway. "Well, hopefully, that will change soon." Grimmjow pulled the bottle out of her hands, causing her to lurch forward, but he easily stopped her with one arm. "Hey! I risked a lot for that stuff! What are you doing?"

"Baka," he growled, pushing her backwards and watching as she stumbled into a sitting position. When she looked up at him, it was with eyes that were totally defiant. "Aizen-sama isn't the only one who can double-cross a victor." He shook the bottle thoughtfully and withdrew.

"Grimmjow-san…"

"Be patient, chibi roku. I'm just going to make sure this stuff is legitimate. If it is, I'll give it back."

"You can't do that!" Haru shouted. Realizing the tone of authority in her voice, she immediately bowed her head. "Sumimasen, Grimmjow-san, but if you react badly to it, I would never be able to forgive myself. Besides, even if you did try it, there is no guarantee that it will affect me the same way. You are an espada, and I…" She swallowed the rest of her words, keeping her eyes downcast because she didn't want him to see her expression. Grimmjow, resolute in his course of action, continued towards the door. Once she heard it close, Haru leaned back and slung an arm across her eyes. "Baka," she murmured, smiling bitterly as she turned onto her side. "If you keep protecting me like this, I'm going to wind up owing you something, and being indebted to an enemy… is the absolute worst thing imaginable for a Yamashita."

* * *

Well, not quite doom… =) I hope everyone enjoyed their trek through those 12,000 words. There will be a pop quiz later! (Just kidding… never fear.) Before I leave you to wait with baited breath for the next chapter, I give you… a Japanese lesson!

Kuso: Japanese swear word. ^_^

Chibi roku: Grimmjow's nickname for Haru, which translates to "little six."

Baka neko: Stupid cat

Hai: Yes

Sumimasen: Slightly formal apology

Hajimimashite: Pleased to meet you.

Yare, yare: Well, well

Yamenasai: Stop it.

Akuma: Demon

Genwakusenkou: I made this bakudou up back in chapter 9. The note is still there for anyone who needs a refresher. =)

Nande: Why

Gomen: Apology

Nani: What

Daijoubu desu ka: Are you alright?

Souka: I see

Betsuni: Nothing

Arigato: Thanks

Hontou ni arigato: Really thanks

Ano: Japanese equivalent of "um."

Arigato-gozaimasu: Formal thanks

Iie: No

Urusai: Shut up

Thanks again, everyone! I hope it was enjoyable! Until next chapter!


	23. Chapter 23: Revelation

A/N: I'm back with a vengeance! Ho, yeah!

I know it has been a while, but between the 13 (more) books I have to read for the thesis and the super-intensive six-week class on literary theory, I have had my hands full to say the least. Let's also add into the mix the fact that I am blogging now... yes, I am blogging, mainly about my culiarny exploits and my literary pursuits. And other such stuff that the internet likely doesn't care about. There might be a link in my profile in the near future. XD

Despite all of these "real life" and "other" writing projects, I intend to upload another chapter in the next week since the class is now over and I have a brief respite before the chaos of the semester sinks in. As always, my gratitude to my readers, stalkers, and reviewers: ladydeath100, NAO-chan33, and .animelove13. Should I be worried that my number of reviews has decreased significantly? X_X' I hope not… I'm still enjoying the story and am hoping this is because a lack of activity, not because my loyal readers are finally tiring of my writing. *anxious face*

For those of you who are still pressing on, I present to you with great joy…

* * *

_Chapter 23: Revelation_

_Here we go again, _Haru thought as she threw herself out of Nnoitora's reach. She darted around the large scythe-like blade with ease. When it collided with the sand, she bolted forward and raced up the handle, swinging her foot at his head and gritting her teeth as he caught it. Haru instinctively threw her weight so that her entire body would turn and thrust her other foot forward. It made contact with his face and forced him to let go of her in order to recover a complete grip on his weapon. He swung it upwards, but Haru arched her back and stretched a hand towards the sand beneath her. Once it made contact, she launched herself backward and pivoted again to avoid the subsequent slash. Her feet slid across the sand until she shot forward and pulled her Seele Schneider out of her sleeve. As the blade descended on her, she blocked it with an upward swing and shoved him away with the newly materialized blade. _Still pale, _she thought, pausing for a moment to examine its silvery glimmer. _But in this case… _Haru stepped just to the left of the scythe and staggered slightly as it struck the earth. She quickly recovered and leapt into the air. _In this case, it is the only thing that will keep me from losing my head._

Shutting her eyes, she focused all her energy on the spirit particles that composed her blade. _Approaching fifteen million vibrations per second… _Haru detected his movement and turned her body again to avoid the scythe's upward drive towards her. With her head angled downward, she changed the hold on her weapon to two hands. _Fifteen point one… _As she swung, her weapon came into contact with his skin and barely nicked it before shattering. _Kuso… I've heard of tough-skinned, but this is absolutely ridiculous. _Haru retreated to a safe distance to rematerialize her blade, nearly losing an arm in the process and thanking the gods that her speed could still save her. As she moved backwards, she raised her free hand and shut her eyes. "Hadou no sanjyuusan: soukatsui!" With a scoff, he sliced through it with his weapon and raced towards her with a raised blade. _No good! _Haru flashed around his blade and altered her reiatsu to attract the spirit particles. Haru moved forward this time when she avoided his attack. _Fifteen point two… _Haru's upward swing was cut short, for he had simply wrapped his hand around the blade and began applying pressure. She heard a faint crack, but she forced the spirit particles to remain connected with her reiatsu.

"You can't move around so much now, eh?" Haru leered at him and tried to twist the blade, but he grasped it in such a way that made any movement virtually impossible. "About damn time I get to cut you!"

"Pearl of the night sky," she murmured, leaping over his blade while keeping a hold of her own. "Ruler of the heavens, look down on the sleeping world below." Haru's feet left the ground as he yanked her weapon forward, but she managed to swing her body so that his attack missed her. "With your silver glow, sever darkest shadows while casting shadows darker still." Haru thrust a foot against his wrist as soon as he raised his weapon to attack again, which allowed her some ability to dictate her own movements. She dodged his next attack by breaking down her weapon and launching herself off of the handle of Nnoitora's zanpakutoh. As she sailed through the air and planned her landing, she continued her incantation. "Fly on something more than wind as you dance on the river's surface and race the impending dawn." With the final word, she landed and tucked her weapon away only to find herself facing the brilliant yellow glow of a cero. _I can't back down_. As the thought crossed her mind, her eyes grew determined, and she folded her hands one in front of the other with her right palm facing him. She turned her foot and bent her knees in case the kidou backfired. "Hadou no kyuujyuusan: gatsutaihou!"

The same moment she released her kidou, Nnoitora released his cero. They collided with a force that seemed to shake all of Hueco Mundo. Haru's feet slid slightly, but she gritted her teeth and kept her hands outstretched. _Come on, _she thought. _I know I am only at ten percent, but gatsutaihou is one of the highest hadou I can perform under these circumstances. _Haru's eyes glimmered as the gold light wrapped itself around her kidou and shut her eyes, waiting for the pain, waiting for something. _It needs to be stronger, but I don't think I can perform the next part of it… kuso… I only have to deal with this for one more day. Tomorrow, Suzaku will return, and she will tell me everything. I have to hold out until then… just until then. If I don't, then… then… _She dreaded to think of the "if."

Haru's shoulders quivered as the only available course of action became clear, yet even as she prepared to take it, some shot of energy whizzed past her, combined with her kidou, and effectively neutralized the cero. Before she could react, she felt herself seized from behind and immediately conveyed to a higher point. As the ground became smaller, she kept her eyes locked on Nnoitora, closing them only when gravity took over and she was slung between the arms of her savior. Blinking slightly, she turned to him and immediately started demanding that he put her down. Grimmjow unceremoniously dropped her, and she landed on the roof with a distinct thud on her back. Dazed, she remained motionless before throwing her hazy eyes up at her savior. "Baka! That hurt!"

"Serves you right."

"Nani?" she demanded as he grabbed her arm and pulled her into a standing position.

"You'd better run as fast as you swing that weird sword of yours."

"You were watching?" she cried. As soon as he flashed out of sight, Haru followed him. She would have time to consider it later, once she was out of peril's jaws and back under the safety of Las Noches' roof. Haru glanced at him once while they ran, but the absolute focus on his face deterred her from saying anything. As they arrived at the door, Grimmjow wrapped his hand around the knob and tried to turn it. "What's wrong?"

"It… it's locked," he stated, lifting his foot and pushing it against the door as he tried vainly to pull the knob backwards.

"Move!" she shouted, shoving him aside and materializing a blade for her quincy weapon once more. She sliced through the door three times with very little regard, then thrust her foot against the middle of it. Then, she seized Grimmjow's wrist and tugged him into the darkness, fleeing the light at her back with a swiftness she seldom exhibited. _That antidote… it does wonders, _she thought. _I feel a little like myself again. Still, I have to wonder… what exactly Szayel-san meant when he spoke of turning me into someone else. _Haru felt herself jolted backwards by Grimmjow, who suddenly decided to travel in a direction other than the way she was going. By then, she was completely out of breath and couldn't help but drop to her knees and put a hand to her heart, which raced on despite the fact that she had paused for respite. Haru opened her mouth to petition her rebellion, but he immediately covered it with his hand, dropping to one knee beside her and dropping his coat on her glimmering weapon. Now that they had stopped, she could hear footsteps. She shut her eyes and leaned forward a bit, trying not to quiver too much and trying even harder to keep herself from breathing too loudly.

"Che… coward." The voice belonged to Nnoitora, and his spiritual pressure made her want to crawl into a hole, knowing full well that she couldn't handle anything like that again.

"Is she too much for you to handle, Nnoitora?" asked a different voice. Haru immediately recognized it and tried to keep her eyes from shooting open.

"As if. I'll get her next time."

"You've said that three days in a row."

"Look, you got your data! Besides, if there hadn't been any interference, I would have cut up so bad that her own parents wouldn't recognize her."

"Keep wearing her down. I have a feeling that the situation will change soon…" After that, they drifted out of earshot. Haru couldn't bring herself to sigh with relief, not after what she had heard. She pulled Grimmjow's hand away from her mouth and looked at him, her eyes glimmering with terror and a million questions he couldn't answer, at least not until they were secluded. With a grim look, he pulled his coat back on, and Haru scattered the spirit particles that composed her blade.

"How long you been carrying that around?"

"Since the day I got here," she answered. "I told you before, I need a way to defend myself. If I don't have a zanpakutoh, then I will find other ways. I can be rather innovative when the situation calls for it." Haru followed him with a look of concern on her face. "Ano… Grimmjow-san, I may be out of line here, but may I ask as to what you discuss with the other espada at your meetings with Aizen-sama?"

"Just stuff," he answered. "To be honest, I really don't pay much attention."

"Some help you are," she retorted. "And if Aizen-sama happened to mention anything about what he is plotting for me, would you listen then?"

"Probably not." She sighed heavily and glanced to him again, praying that it was her last day of enduring the torture of Hueco Mundo. In her ten days there, she had done so much. She could feel herself growing stronger with every step. Her fights with Nnoitora were doing wonders for her agility. Her mind felt strengthened by all the thinking she forced it to do, and by all the planning.

"Grimmjow-san."

"Hmm?"

"Why did you save me?" He stopped walking, and when Haru realized she had accidentally gone ahead of him, if only by one step, she turned around and peered at him critically. "I meant today. Don't think too hard about it."

"I don't have to think," he answered promptly. "I saved you because you saved me."

"Yeah, but you know I'm not… you know…" Haru paused as she tried to conjure up the right words. "You know I'm not a hollow, I'm not an arrancar… I'm nothing like you. So, why would you keep troubling yourself over me?"

"You're talking too much," he retorted, walking past her with his hands in his pockets.

"Grimmjow-san…"

"Come on," he stated.

"But… isn't my room the other way?"

"We're not going back," Grimmjow answered. "You want to hear what we talk about in those meetings so bad, you're going to have to listen yourself."

"Are you mad?" Haru demanded, darting in front of him and giving him an irate look. "They won't speak of anything while I'm there, at least nothing important."

"Don't you think I know that?" Grimmjow pushed past her again and kept walking forward. "That's why you'll just have to find a way to stay hidden." She considered his words for a moment and followed him. What he was proposing would be difficult but not impossible. She could cut her output of reiatsu easily. Physically, all it would take was a wall or a door, and even though the long table at which they met was distant from the door they entered, the sound carried well.

"Arigato, Grimmjow-san," she murmured, bowing her head.

"Don't thank me," he retorted, bowing his head slightly. "Whatever you do, don't thank me."

* * *

Takumi paced along, carrying the box in his hands with ease. He had a destination in mind and a task he wanted to complete. For some reason, he suddenly felt like treading where he would one day have worked if Haru had remained in Soul Society. _If nothing else, it will put my mind at ease to know I gave it a good cleaning, even if it takes me the rest of the day. _He found it strange that he was in such a good mood despite the fact that his captain was still gone, the air had suddenly grown chill, and his older sister had relentlessly harassed him about Hinamori for the past three days. _That's just how onee-chan is… she wants me to be happy, but I wish I could somehow get through to her that nagging me isn't the way. _He paused and shifted his eye quite suddenly, spotting the very person he been nagged about and saw that she was confronted with some of the same shinigami who had threatened him three days before. Takumi felt the cold expression spread over his face, then shook his head. _It's nothing to worry about. Besides, they're in the division, too…_

Yet as he passed, his left eye, covered with the eye patch Hinamori had recovered, detected something troubling about the situation. _Her shoulders are back, _he immediately thought. _Lately, I've noticed she has been keeping them square, almost as if she is relying on her own authority. She lets them fall when she wants to rely on someone else. Is she wringing her hands? _He paused again. _Should I… do something? _Takumi glanced to the box in his hands again, then let his eyebrows fall together. _Being in that office and watching me wipe away the dusty remnants of the man she felt so strongly about… that's emotional pain I don't need to put her through._

Takumi would have gone on his way and not given it a second thought, but his ear just barely perceived the sound of his name, spoken with immense odium, followed by an irritated declaration from Hinamori. He didn't bother to wait until she was done speaking to take three steps back and turn towards them. "Oi, Momo-san!" She paused and looked his way. "Sumimasen, but if you aren't busy, would you mind giving me a hand with something?" She blinked once, then let herself smile.

"Hai!" she called back. She seemed to give her confronters a farewell. Takumi determined that if any of them tried to deter her, he would return the injuries they had given him with interest, but she escaped before they could and darted up beside him, following him silently as he rounded the corner and drifted out of their sight. Hinamori sighed and pressed a hand to her chest. "Arigato. You're a life-saver."

"Oh?"

"Yeah… I think I'll almost be happy if you take my place as vice captain. I won't be under so much pressure to get rid of you."

"As I thought," Takumi retorted with a brazen smile. "You really are plotting to get rid of me."

"Please… that would be impossible."

"How so?" Takumi inquired. "If you think about it, I'm only one small part of this division."

"True, but out of all the people here, I find you the most helpful."

"I'm glad I could be of some service, especially since I owe you."

"Owe me?" she echoed. "I can't see how you would owe me anything."

"Well, for one thing, you saved me the other day…"

"I was just doing what I thought was right…"

"And for another, you've spent a lot of time taking care of me when I can't even take care of myself." Hinamori couldn't counter that point. She thought back to the long night she had spent with him in the human world and to his most recent debilitation. Still, the fact that he seemed to make a full recovery softened the blow. "I know a simple thanks isn't much, but I'm afraid it's all I have at the moment." On second thought, maybe he hadn't recovered at all. She stepped in front of him and caused him to stumble backwards as her hand moved towards his forehead. His eye became a cocktail of confusion and seriousness.

"Hmm… you don't have a fever…"

"Why would that matter?"

"Because you just thanked me, and earlier, you called me 'Momo-san.' Remember, you don't have any manners."

"Hey, I only called you that so they wouldn't get the wrong idea. And besides, I really do owe you more than a thanks, especially since I'm asking you a favor."

"I'm telling you, you don't owe me anything," Hinamori retorted, crossing her arms and squaring her shoulders. "And that's that. Don't argue with me, Takumi."

"Hai, hai…" He turned his eyes back ahead and shuttered as a cold breeze swept past them.

"That aside, what exactly is it that you want me to do?" Having reached his destination, Takumi set the box down and wiped his brow. Hinamori immediately recognized it, and her expression changed in an instant from light-hearted curiosity to grim remembrance. "What… what are we…"

"You don't have to help me," Takumi murmured, throwing his visible eye at the ground. "But for some reason, I feel this urge to clean it, you know? It's been so long since anyone has been in there. I imagine the dust is at least a centimeter thick…" His voice trailed off because he realized Hinamori was no longer listening to him. Instinct drove him to reach out a hand and touch her shoulder, but he drew back at the last moment and let his eye fall shut. Perhaps it would be a lonely afternoon after all. Still, he had to eat something before he started, so he simply sat down in front of the door, pulled the hand-packed bento out from among the cleaning supplies, opened it, and muttered his gratitude for the meal. Hinamori stood frozen in the same position that she had been when they arrived. With a sigh, he set his food beside him and stared blankly at the distance. "Gomen."

"Eh?" she asked suddenly.

"I'm sorry… that the person you cared about betrayed you, and I'm sorry… that I asked you to help me displace his remnants." He sighed and bowed his head; how could he have supposed things would turn out favorably, even if he saw that they would? Fate was an ever-changing force and a fickle one at that. If she disliked an idea, she did not pursue it. He only wished he could maintain that same mentality. "Are you hungry?"

"I couldn't possibly eat any of your lunch…"

"It's fine," he answered. "I packed extras since I planned on being here late."

"Then you should save it."

"Momo, you've been taking care of me ever since Haru left. For once, just let me take care of you a little bit." He took the first bite and chewed it thoroughly before swallowing. She couldn't argue, so she sat beside him, removing a pair of chopsticks from her sleeve and glancing from one item to the next, trying to decide which one she wanted. The trouble was, they all looked so enticing that she couldn't simply settle for something. "Try the omelette."

"H… hai," she answered, taking a piece and placing it in her mouth. "It's good."

"I'm glad you think so."

"Your sister must be some cook…"

"You mean Mari?" For the first time in a long time, Takumi laughed. He hadn't genuinely laughed for ages, and doing so felt good, even if it hurt his injuries.

"Did I… say something funny?"

"Listen, Momo… you obviously don't know my sister very well. See, she's the kind of cook that manages to burn cold cereal. Last time I let her in the kitchen, she nearly set the house on fire."

"Then you made this?"

"Laugh if you will," Takumi stated, taking another bite and chewing it as he ruminated over the task ahead of him. "My sister is jyuu bantai yoseki. She wouldn't be caught dead cooking. Still, she tries for my sake. She says it isn't fair that I have to do such things, but I don't mind, really. After all, she has done so much for me."

"Like what?" Hinamori inquired. With a simple smile, he leaned back and drew a breath.

"Both my parents were dead by the time I was born. My father died six months before, my mother shortly after giving birth to me, eaten away by depression and by the demon in her womb. Ever since then, she's taken ever measure to raise me well. I never let her get too close, though, because even at that age, I knew about the demon inside of me. I guess because of him, I've never really been alone, but he didn't make it easy for me…" He released the breath he had been holding and glanced down to her, pulling an indiscriminate item from the bento and chewing it thoughtfully. "Of course, she never had time to do things like this. She was always at the academy. I guess she's the whole reason I became a shinigami because she was the one who taught me how to fight. She said it was her duty as my older sister to teach me how to protect myself when she couldn't look after me."

"It sounds like you two are very close."

"You could say that," Takumi answered as he took another bite. "In all honesty, we've grown apart in the passing years, and with everything that's happened in the past two weeks…" His voice trailed off, and his eye glimmered with a self-reprimand that Hinamori could not decode. With a sigh, he stood and brushed his uniform off, stretching slightly before clapping his hands together and murmuring his gratitude a second time. "You can have the rest. I've got to get started if I want to finish by midnight." Takumi suddenly found himself incapable of moving. It was strange how a gentle pressure on his sleeve could paralyze him. He turned his questioning eye back to her, glanced at the steady hand gripping his uniform, and let his brows fall together.

"Takumi, I… I think you're going to need some help."

"Seriously?" he stammered, then shook his head and shoved his elation into the back of his mind. "Demo… what about…"

"It's alright," she reassured him with a faint smile. "I'll manage." Sighing, he nodded his head and bent down to seal the empty bento. After tossing it indiscriminately in the box of cleaning supplies, he eyed Hinamori as she opened the door and stepped inside.

_I guess I don't have a reason to worry… her shoulders were straight. _Takumi shut his eye for a moment. _I can feel her grief, though… almost as if it were my own. _Once the lights were on inside, he entered to find precisely what he had expected to find: a bunch of furniture coated in more dust than he could ever have imagined. Sighing heavily, he bowed his head and resolved to finish the task no matter what it took. At the same time, he couldn't ignore the admiration he felt for Hinamori, who seemed equally determined to ignore her scars and wipe away the last remnants of the man she had before so devotedly followed.

* * *

Haru stood outside the doors, which were open just far enough for her to perceive the sound of the voices within if she shut her eyes and truly focused. They were still in the preliminary stages of their meeting, so everyone was receiving a cup of tea in order to relax the tense atmosphere. As she waited, she clenched her fist and recalled Grimmjow's words: "If you get caught, he'll do worse than kill you, so if you make any noise, you'd better prepare yourself, or else you'd better be able to outrun whatever comes after you." Haru's senses were piqued; with her eyes closed, she could detect even the slightest movements because of the reishi density. She was ready to flee if the immediate circumstance called for it.

She detected that no significant words had passed between the espada and their leader. Haru slowly released her breath and let her eyes flash open temporarily. _This matter has weighed so heavily on my mind… the technique that my father used… and what it was called, how close I am to achieving that level of power… _Haru shut her eyes again and fondly recalled the one day she had seen her father fight with not one but two Seele Schneider, both a steady beam of white, both whirling through the air with precision cuts. It was only practice, but Haru sat and watched her father patiently. She couldn't recover the entire memory, though. She just remembered him stopping suddenly and embracing her, then saying that he would have loved to live long enough to see her fight that way. In her ear, he whispered the name that she had lost…

Then, three days later, as the rain descended around her, she knelt over his corpse, still warm but lifeless. _Kuso… I have so many unanswered questions. I came here for answers, but I can't simply come out and ask for them. If I have to stay here any longer, my power really will…_

Haru's composure jolted as she heard her name faintly. It was Aizen's voice; that much, she was sure of. He had asked about her. "It's coming along well, Aizen-sama," Szayel replied, causing her to leer at the crack in the door. "She's responding well to the treatment. It won't be long now…"

"Excellent," he responded. "And you say it's possible to give her new memories?"

"Of course. Did you have anything in mind, Aizen-sama?"

"I may." Haru's heart nearly stopped at the tone in his voice. There was no doubting it now; he definitely had her there for all the wrong reasons. "Everything I have done to this point has been geared towards my objective. I killed her father because he was in the way, and I killed her mother because she knew me too well. She knew the truth and didn't act on it. It almost pained me to do so, seeing as she was such a rare gem."

_That bastard, _Haru thought, clenching her fist. She had to stay her temper, if only long enough to hear the rest of his words.

"Her own death was real enough, yet she lives under the illusion that only the man driving was involved…"

_Illusion? _She thought back to the day she had died, standing in the rain. The remorseful cries were so real, they echoed in her ears as she thought back, back to the day she had died, to the moment she had heard her name, the name she had dropped in order to become unobtrusive. She had turned her head to look at the speaker, and then… then. Haru could remember a lot about that day, but the voice of the speaker, and the identity, remained buried beneath the haze of death and the all too real remorse of the man caught in the crossfire. Silently, she cursed her short attention span and returned her full focus to the events transpiring with in the room.

"That man was nothing but unfortunate. The agency of her death had nothing to do with it. Still, to make sure, I erased him and his family." Haru shuddered as she imagined their final moments, wishing bitterly that she could have done something. She had been lied to by Urahara, and by Ishida, but she couldn't really blame them for wanting to protect her. Somehow, it didn't shake her trust, not considering how risky the measures she had taken were. Besides, she had more important matters to deal with, matters that would not get solved if she let herself be devoured by the past. "I acknowledge that my own power is more than enough to crush Soul Society. However, I want an insurance policy."

"I thought that's why you created us, Aizen-sama." Haru's eyes fell shut as the empty voice echoed through the halls.

"You ain't fought her like I have, Uluquiorra," Nnoitora put in. "She's a bat out of hell, that's for sure."

"The data I have collected is very promising," Szayel stated. "If we could utilize her full power, Soul Society wouldn't stand a chance."

"And what exactly is she?" Tousen inquired. "That's what Aizen-sama's objective was, not to prove that she was powerful, but to determine the nature of her power." She held her breath and leaned forward.

"All my tests show that her reiatsu resembles that of a shinigami. Still, that doesn't explain her ability to utilize the Seele Schnieder. So, my most sincere apologies, Aizen-sama, but I still haven't found a suitable answer yet."

"I want an accurate answer, so time currently isn't a constraint." She stilled her breath as it slowly crept out of her lungs. By that point, she was trembling with a rage she had never quite felt before. "And how are our friends in the human world, Ulquiorra-san?"

"Interesting. They kill every hollow we send."

"I need the quincy dead."

"Quincy?" Ulquiorra echoed. "With all do repect, Aizen-sama, he seems insignificant when compared with Kurosaki Ichigo…"

"I need you to sever every link she has, both to the human world and to Soul Society. There is a chance she may remember who she is if she should happen to contact any of them. That includes the quincy, the demon, and the sixth division captain."

_Byakuya-sama… _Her hand trembled as it moved to her neck and pressed against the ring beneath her clothes. _Byakuya-sama… needs to be… what?_

"I feel this is more urgent than coaxing Haru into actually forgetting who she is. Szayel, I want you to see to this matter personally."

"I will see to it, Aizen-sama. I am sure I can force him into a situation where he is completely and utterly powerless." Haru's mind went completely numb, and as the feeling seeped out of her body, she began sinking downward. Her mind whirled with this sudden rush of information.

"I shall leave you to it, then. Keep watching her for any sudden changes."

"Aizen-sama…" This time, it was Grimmjow's voice that spoke. She kept herself standing, if only because she wanted to hear what he said. "What exactly do you plan to make her, once you've taken her memories?"

"And here, I thought ya never listened at these meetings, Grimmjow-san," Ichimaru said. Haru could see him smile even though she was facing a wall, and the fact that he found amusement in her predicament made her seethe even more. "But ya've got a point there… Aizen-sama hasn't mentioned his big plans for little Haru-chan yet, and I gotta admit, I'm equally curious."

"Very well," he answered. "A better question for you to ask would be who I plan to make her, not what. She will be a killing machine, true, but she will do it under a different name."

"Nani?" Grimmjow inquired. "Then I'll ask… who exactly are you going to turn her into?"

"Who else but her mother?" Haru slammed a hand over her mouth to keep from gasping, but she couldn't keep her eyes from widening. The rest of the feeling fled her knees, and she sank against the wall, completely paralyzed. "The resemblance is rather striking, and I always had some unresolved issues with Misuzu-san. It will be interesting to see her live again, and whether or not I can finally end it."

_Iie… _Haru thought as her head whirled. _Not that… anything but that… that's too much, even for you… _

"Aizen-sama," Szayel put in. "I have found one point that you should be aware of. My data indicates that the connection between that girl and her zanpakutoh has waned to a nearly imperceptible level. One more day, and we should finally be able to destroy it."

_Suzaku… _she thought as her vision blurred. _Suzaku… iie… you can't… _

"Then I trust you to begin preparations, Szayel."

"Hai, Aizen-sama. It will be the perfect ending blow to our chess match. She doesn't suspect a thing…"

_Iie… iie… _The word raced through her mind over and over; it was the only thing she could think at the moment. She would have loved to go in there and cut his damn head off, but even in that condition, her prudence outweighed her impulse. She shoved herself away from the wall and flashed out of sight. No one perceived her departure, nor had they felt her presence there. They simply continued as if nothing had happened, all except Grimmjow, who fell back into silence and let the words run together while Haru raced away. She had no idea where she was going, so she ran until she was out of breath and collapsed in the hallway. Tears ran from her eyes, and she couldn't breathe at all. Still, she derived some familiarity from the scene and dragged herself up, staggering towards the door of her nearest safety zone. Once she pulled it open, she threw herself inside the room and slid against the door, letting her sobs come freely now as she sank into her knees and wrapped her hands around the sides of her head.

"Suzaku…" she murmured between them. "Suzaku…" All she could think of was the inevitable ending to her scene. As she drew pitiful excuses for breaths, the facts chased each other around in her head. Her father had died, and her mother, too, and the innocent man that killed her… and if Aizen had his way, then she would be resurrected like a phoenix only to become the scourge of Soul Society. Haru's hands fell into her line of vision, trembling like dying autumn leaves. Szayel may have been a bit sloppy in their chess game, but she admitted with odium that it was well-played. The king had woven a beautiful illusion of safety, coating it with false words and an air of concern. He had sent his bishop to her, and he had coaxed the melody out of her, gaining her trust, even if the rook was still hesitant to accept her loyalty. He had even supplied her with a knight as an escort, but it was all for show. Her own king was now in check, and she, the queen, was about to be eliminated. Infuriated, confused, and alone, she threw her head back and screamed her zanpakutoh's name into the empty room before falling into hysteria.

* * *

At the moment, there was only one way out of that hellhole, but her courage failed her; tempting as the thought was, she couldn't bear to end it herself because she knew there were people waiting for her return.

They had come a long way since the afternoon. The top of the desk was now so clean that Takumi could see his face in it. They had raced back and forth countless times to clean the floor. The chair was clear of dust, as were all of the bookshelves. Every work had been placed carefully back in order. The only things left were the top of the bookshelves and the desk drawers. As Takumi and Hinamori stared at their final task, they soon realized that it was pretty far out of reach. "Are you sure this has to be done?" Takumi asked her.

"You said 'thorough.' Follow through if you want to finish the job right." Takumi glanced at her and bowed down until one knee touched the floor. "What are you doing?"

"Hurry up," he stated.

"Nani?"

"You said you would be able to reach if you stood on my shoulders, so hurry up and do it." Takumi couldn't bear to look at her, so he simply cast his eye to the floor, trying to bear the sudden feeling of fire in his face. He felt her foot against his shoulder, then a bit of hesitance coursed through her.

"Are you sure?"

"Just do it already," he answered, "and quit asking me if it's alright. If it weren't, then I wouldn't have bent down." She swallowed and balanced carefully on his shoulders, peering at the thick layer of dust coating the shelf. With a careful hand, she set to cleaning it, trying not to shift her weight unexpectedly or anything of that nature.

"This has got to be the filthiest thing I've ever seen in my life. Honestly, did that man ever clean his office?"

"Probably," Takumi answered, raising his eyes to make sure she was stable. He immediately bowed his head again and cast it towards the window he could see from the corner of his eye. It was dark outside, and he could see the stars dotting the sky. _They're nice… _he thought. _When I get home, I'm going up on the roof, and I'm taking a good, long look with both eyes. _Hinamori climbed down, and Takumi moved a few feet before kneeling again. She climbed onto his shoulders with a little more confidence this time, humming quietly as she worked. Startled, he glanced up for a moment, then looked down again.

"Is something wrong? You just tensed up."

"Iie, demo… isn't that the song…the one taichou played the night she left?"

"I'm not sure why, but lately, that song has been stuck in my head. I haven't been able to get it out of my head no matter how hard I try. She has…" Hinamori paused as she peered down at him, then returned diligently to her work. "She has been on my mind a lot lately." Takumi sighed and shut his eye; that was the last thing he wanted to think about at the moment, especially since his zanpakutoh had been goading him to take a glimpse despite his perpetual insistence that he was going to be patient. "Takumi?"

"Hmm?"

"If she… if taichou came back, what would you do?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean exactly what I said," she retorted, hopping down and watching him move a step before ascending again. "You said you would follow her no matter what, but she's gone somewhere far beyond you. If she suddenly saw the error of her ways and came back, what would you do?" He said nothing because he knew that whatever he said would reveal the truth of the matter. Fortunately, he didn't have to answer anything. The sound of the door sliding open and footsteps entering disrupted his line of thought. Hinamori, forgetting her precarious balance, whirled backwards to see who it was.

"Hinamori!" the voice called. Takumi moved as if he knew precisely what would happen. He stood fully erect and caught the girl before she even became close to the ground, keeping his only remaining eye shut. Slowly, he opened it half way, revealing a keen glimmer that Hinamori was very unfamiliar with. He looked directly at her for a moment and shifted his eyes to the intruder, whom he recognized from the captain's meeting.

"Hitsugaya-taichou, right?"

"What… what's going on here?" he demanded irately.

"Nothing more than a little light cleaning." Takumi glanced at Hinamori again. Then, as if coming to the realization that he still had one arm under her knees and the other around her shoulders, he gently set her on her feet and smiled to hide his awkwardness. "Klutz."

"What was that?" she demanded, balling up the cloth and tossing it at him. He raised a hand and caught it, as if it were normal to do such things without looking.

"Take a break if you want one. He's here to see you, not me." She leered at him but did as he asked and withdrew when Hitsugaya asked to speak with her in private. _At last, a moment to clear my head…_

_Hey, you were the one who wanted the company._

_Baka… you meddled again, didn't you?_

_Don't scold me for wanting to see you happy. _Takumi pulled a drawer open and removed its sparse contents. Then, he began wiping it out. _Don't take this the wrong way, but you're kind of a coward for keeping quiet._

_You don't think I don't know that? _He rubbed the wood inside the drawer with more vigor. _Still, I see that it's better this way. At least I have a good enough head on my shoulders to see that._

_Then why are you getting angry?_

_I'm not angry, _he answered, rubbing harder. _Just irritated._

_You certainly are cleaning with gusto, then…_

_Urusai._

_Did I touch a nerve, Takumi? _Takumi felt the surface he was cleaning slide and suddenly stopped rubbing it. For a moment, he panicked and thought he had broken something, but he soon saw that the drawer was designed that way.

"What… is this?" He slid his finger between the gap and pried it up the rest of the way. There was some kind of book inside it, unusually pristine for having sat in a drawer for who knew how long. He ran a hand over the cover, tracing the kanji that decorated it, and pulled it open to stare at the blank pages. Still, his finger was moving, tracing some unseen trail of ink. His eye fell closed so he could focus solely on it. Something vivid flashed through his mind, the memory written on the page of someone sitting in that chair, writing those words that he couldn't see as she sat behind the desk and exchanged some harmless dialogue with a vice captain. He saw more things just as quickly, but they piled up so fast that he couldn't see them clearly, nor could he pull them apart. The only thing he distinguished was the farewell of the person he had seen to the new captain of the fifth division.

A name… he searched for a name, but not before being bombarded by more of the unseen. The pages were blank, but his finger was still tracing kanji that didn't exist. No longer was he merely touching the pages; he was connected to them, and blank though they were, they rushed through his mind in a whir of color and emotion. There were other things, too, things that hadn't happened yet. He was standing on Soukyouku hill, and among the snow, there was blood and an inscrutable shadow. In the midst of it all knelt the same woman, still wearing her captain's haori, clutching her bleeding arm with one hand and her sword in the other, weeping, yelling… he couldn't hear the words. He only knew she was speaking because her mouth was moving. At some point, the past had crossed the future, and two people began melding together into one person. He heard an agonized cry… that must have been from the recent past… a call to the one thing that could help her, and in an instant, all the pain she bore, for whatever reason she was bearing it, fell on him with a choking weight.

With a gasp, he dropped the book and staggered backwards, reaching out for something to support him. The first thing he found was a wall, which he immediately sunk against. He thrust a trembling hand over his left eye and hissed as a sharp pain penetrated it, almost as if it were being ripped from his skull again. He bit back his agonized cries until his lip bled, then yanked his sword from its sheath and clenched his fist around it. The blade sank into his skin, but at least it distracted him from his throbbing head. "Takumi!" He detected the shadow pass in front of him, felt the hands fall on his shoulders, and tried to hold his tongue. "Hey, get a hold of yourself! What happened?" He gasped for a moment and looked up at her, blinking until his vision cleared and he found himself back in the office he had mentally left behind. After taking one look at it, Takumi seized the front of her uniform and pulled her forward.

"Tokazawa Misuzu…"

"N… nani?" she stammered.

"Who is she?"

"Takumi, what are you talking about?"

"I'm asking you who she is! You have to know the name!"

"I honestly don't!" Hearing the fear in her voice and detecting the approaching captain, he let her go and allowed his hand to fall to the floor, gasping for breath as he still tried to process his surroundings. Hinamori pulled back slightly, rearranging her uniform and casting a leery eye at Takumi, who barely seemed to perceive her presence. As she reached a hand back, she found the object he had unearthed in the drawer. Without a word, she closed it and rose to her feet, placing it on the desk and peering to her childhood friend. "Shiro-chan…"

"Tokazawa Misuzu was the fifth division captain, but she vanished a long time ago. By the time any of us knew she was still alive, she was dead, murdered by Aizen Sousuke."

"And Aizen… was he her vice captain?"

"I don't understand how you can know that and not know who Tokazawa Misuzu is," Hitsugaya retorted. Takumi peered around again, realizing that Hinamori had moved but was now returning with a roll of bandage she had uncovered in a small cabinet at the other end of the room. She knelt beside him and gently coaxed his fingers away from his sword. Seeing as it was Hinamori, she had no choice but to submit to her, watching as she wound the bandage around his lacerated hand and fumbling with the glimpses of the past he had caught. One stood out in his mind, one that nearly made him pull away.

"Sit still," she reminded him, pulling his wrist down as she tried to finish.

"Yamamoto-soutaichou," he said suddenly, throwing a wild look to Hitsugaya. "I have to speak with him. Now."

"Baka. Yamamoto-soutaichou doesn't tolerate visits without an appointment, and what's more, he doesn't have time to talk to someone like you."

"Shiro-chan…" He said nothing more but simply turned away.

"I'm not…" he murmured, forcing himself to stand despite the fact that Hinamori still had a hold on his hand. Hitsugaya turned back slowly, obviously irritated by his sudden improvement. "I'm not a demon. I'm a shinigami. Got it? And I'm not a seventh seat. I'm a vice captain. And even if the world was against me, I would find a way to talk to him. You can't stop me just because of things like ranking. I won't let you." More than anything, his impudence surprised Hitsugaya, who hadn't understood anything until Takumi said he was a vice captain. Then, the situation became clear, the thorns unraveled, and the truth beneath the deep, dark, murky waters surfaced. Glancing to Hinamori, he saw that she was as unaware of the situation as Byakuya currently was, for surely, if he did know, then he wouldn't spend his days slaving away at his desk. Takumi's determined eye remained on him until he turned away.

"If you hurt her, I'll kill you."

Hitsugaya left them with those words and retreated to be alone with his thoughts. Takumi's expression, still determined, didn't change as he moved his fingers and realized that they were wrapped around Hinamori's hand. Immediately, he let go and tried to pull away, but she held on. "Momo…"

"Baka," she said fiercely, bowing her head. "If you go there now, you'll have to fight your way in, and if you did, you might get hurt worse, so don't… please don't…" Sighing, he slumped against the wall and rejoined her, both loathing and relishing the imprisonment of his hand. He flexed his fingers slightly, hissing at the pain that raced through his palm, but it was nothing compared to the pain in his head. From the corner of his eye, he perceived her raise her sleeve to her eyes and wipe them, but even when she was finished, she refused to look at him.

"Don't cry, not because you're worried about me."

"Demo…"

"It's fine," he answered. "Being like this, using my left eye… I can handle it. You have to believe it will get better with time. Maybe if you do, then my circumstances will change." Takumi paused and leaned against the wall with a sigh, letting his azure eye drift shut. For a moment, he let his whole mind go blank. At present, he had no desire to think, nor did he wish to decode the scene that had flashed in his mind only moments before. He would sort it out later when his head wasn't throbbing so much.

"What did you see?" Hinamori asked. Takumi threw his gaze to her, trying hard not to glare. He was irritated that she had interrupted him, but she wasn't deterred, even if it was obvious. She turned to face him and grasped his wounded hand between both of hers, trembling yet determined.

"You know I can't tell you."

"It's only me."

"Still, when I speak of what I see, I must do so in riddles, and I don't really think I'm capable of doing that right now." He tilted his head to one side, then slowly opened his eye, cursing the boundaries of his power and all the rules attached to it. "At present, it would do me no good to go to Yamamoto-soutaichou, not even if I wanted to. He can't do anything, and neither can I. No one can help her now…" He peered to Hinamori, then glanced to his hand. When he realized that it was still folded in her own, he hastily turned away. "Why are you still…"

"Because I'm afraid of what may happen if I let go." Takumi wasn't in the mood to argue. He cursed his cloudy mind and wished more than anything for coherence. It was difficult to straighten anything out with her clinging to him like that. Still, one thing was clear to him: his captain was in peril's nest, which meant that she was beyond help entirely.

"Kuso," he growled, suddenly, clenching his other fist and slamming it against the wall. "You make it difficult to keep secrets, Momo-san, and as much as I wish I could tell you everything, I'm afraid I am made mute by my superiors. I can no more speak than undo the knots separating today from yesterday. For that reason, I…" Takumi flexed the muscles in his arm and prepared to pull away, but he found himself incapable. Hinamori gave him a questioning look, one that clearly conveyed both her perplexity and her concern. Takumi clenched his jaw and looked away, unable to endure such a look for longer than he had.

"Stubborn." Hinamori's hands slipped away, and as he glanced upward, he realized she was kneeling in front of him now instead of next to him. With gentle fingers, she loosened the eye patch and pushed it aside. He had no time to shut his left eye, nor did he feel the instinctive need to, because he saw nothing but acceptance in her. "I know you can't tell me everything, but if you're in pain, at least tell me that much. It's much easier to bear if you share it with someone." After swallowing, he nodded and bowed his head. "Look at me."

"Iie."

"It doesn't bother me."

"It's strange," he retorted, raising his head but keeping his eyes averted. He glimpsed the volume on the desk and immediately looked the other way, feeling as if he had crossed some profane line that he shouldn't have by peering at its pages. "Forgive me." Takumi spoke those words, but they weren't meant for Hinamori until he gazed at her and repeated them. "Please forgive me."

"For what?"

"I can't tell you." He recovered the eyepatch and rose, staggering slightly before placing the volume back in the drawer and rearranging the false bottom. Once he had done that, he shut it and whirled around, leaning against the desk and peering up at the stars.

"I'm going to head home," Hinamori said gently. "Will you be alright by yourself?"

"Hai," he answered. "We can finish what little is left tomorrow, unless you would rather not…"

"Iie," she interrupted. "I'll help you. I don't mind, really."

"Arigato." A still moment passed between them before Takumi whirled about and followed her, securing the covering for his left eye and turning off the light switch as he exited. As he shut the door behind him, his eyes wandered up to the heavens, where, despite the changing of the seasons, he swore he saw Suzaku burning on the distant horizon.

* * *

Haru was dreaming. She knew that because she was standing in the void, sitting with her arms around her knees and waiting for the inevitable. Her white shadow extended in all four directions, so she felt like her inner world was shrinking, the black walls finally compressing in on her. Listlessly, she raised her eyes and studied her surroundings, then, dropped her teary eyes again. The situation was completely hopeless. _Byakuya-sama, _she thought, reaching for the ring around her neck, but for some reason, it hadn't followed her into the dream. Clenching her right fist, she released one sob into the surrounding darkness. _Byakuya-sama, gomenasai. I… I've gone somewhere too far away, so not even your light can guide me back now. _She smiled bitterly and continued her silent plea. _I'm sure… that you are in so much pain because I abandoned you, and for what? For my own stupid pride? For my desire to avenge Shinji and the others? Or was it… because I wanted the truth? _Haru paused and glanced up again, then shook her head slowly. _It doesn't matter now. Reasons and motives… in the end, the betrayal was nothing more than a lie._

A tear descended from Haru's face, and the darkness around her knees rippled, distorting her white shadows. Startled, she pulled back with a gasp and in doing so caused another to descend. The same phenomenon occurred again, and she was so lost that she got to her feet. This couldn't be her void; her void wasn't fluid. It was an empty vacuum inside of her that she could crawl into when her emotions skewed her logic and threatened to cause her death. _That's right, _she thought. _My trip here seemed logical at the time. I was in the void when I came up with the idea, so… there has to be something to this, but what? What? _She thought the word so powerfully that it seemed to echo around her. Haru sat down again and shut her eyes, trying to ignore her angst and her trepidation. When she opened them again, it was to a memory she had long forgotten. She was sitting in a dojo of some sort, watching her father slice the air with not one but two Seele Schnieders. Haru peered to her hands for a moment and saw that they had lost what maturity they possessed. Instead, they were the hands of a child, and as she watched her father, the familiar delight came rushing back to her. She laughed and applauded, causing him to pause and shoot her a smile.

"Otousan, you fight marvelously!" Her young voice dispersed the words into the room.

"Marvelously, hmm?" he answered, grinning and shaking his head. "Isn't that a big word for a little girl to be using?"

"Iie! I read it in a book today. I even looked it up in a dictionary."

"Yare, yare… you're getting too smart for me, Haru-kun." Haru delighted in hearing him call her that and laughed again even though he dispersed the spirit particles that composed his blades and slipped them back in his belt. Suddenly, his expression grew serious, and Haru, detecting the change in atmosphere, stopped right in the midst of laughing. He crossed the room with an exigency she had never seen him exhibit and embraced her in an almost desperate manner. "Otousan… daijobu desu ka?"

"I have a story to tell you, Haru-kun. Will you listen?"

"Do you have to ask? You always tell the best stories… they're even better than some of the ones that are written down. What is this story about?" He paused, and she felt the hand press against the back of her head. She could smell his cologne, a faint musky scent that her mother had always seemed to like. He drew away ever so slightly and placed his lips next to her ear, then spoke in a tone so low, it seemed like he feared the walls would hear his secret.

"Once, long ago, when I was a little older than you, I knew a man who could see beyond what you and I can. He was a very kind-hearted person, but I only met him once. I had to help him escape from some bad people."

"Was he a shinigami?" Haru asked.

"Hai… he was one of a kind, after those bad people were finished with him." He ran a hand along her hair, then repeated the action several times before continuing. "Before he left, that man told me that one day, I would have a beautiful little girl who was a shinigami like her mother, yet I wouldn't care about that because she would also receive special powers from her father." The older fragment of herself that remained knew that he had oversimplified the matter just to get the point across to her five-year-old self, but since she was more immersed in youth at the moment, she continued listening and didn't question. "And that daughter would one day use the technique I just showed you. It wouldn't be exactly the same, obviously, since she is so different from her father, but she would make ingenious alterations so that she could protect the things that were most precious to her."

"Like you and okaasan?"

"Hai." Haru perceived the quiver in his voice, as if he were on the verge of tears. His tone troubled her, so she wrapped her small arms around his head. "But he could never see her grow into that power. He couldn't be there to wipe away her tears when the pain grew too great. He couldn't be there to hold her when her body grew weak with pursuing it and being pursued by it. He could never see her bloom when that power touched her. Do you understand, Haru-kun?" She tightened her grasp and nodded slowly, not quite sure of her understanding but wanting to reassure her father that she was strong enough. "Today, I am going to give you the name of my style, Haru-kun, so that it can rise again in your hands. Promise me you will try to remember the name."

"I promise," she said hesitantly. Suddenly, he lifted her off the floor and whirled her around, smiling the most difficult smile he ever had in his entire life and laughing as if the moment would go on forever. Haru laughed, too, because the ruse of his joy was so strong that he actually conveyed it to her. Gently, he set her down and rested a hand on her head before dropping to one knee.

"You have made your papa the happiest person in the world. This tactic is like a zanpakutoh; it gets stronger when you invoke its name, so you must never forget it, and don't forget that it can never replace your zanpakutoh. You will bond with your sword, but I feel that, whatever it is like, it will understand your desire and see the logic behind your need. Do you understand everything I'm saying?"

"Hai, otousan. Please introduce us formally."

"That's my girl," he stated, rubbing the top of her head slightly. "The style you have just witnessed, the combination of two sword-like weapons with martial arts, the art I have crafted since before you were born, it is called…"

Haru's eyes shot open as the name escaped her lips. Realizing she had been laying on her stomach, she pushed herself up and peered around, feeling somewhat lost. Immediately, she pulled the ring out from under her clothes and clamped her hand around it. Only then did she sigh with relief and mop the sweat from her brow. _A dream… _Haru touched the Seele Schneider and let her eyes sink shut again. _Iie… a memory. _Sighing, she sprawled out again, fully aware that the bed wasn't her own. She peered to her right, where her arm was hanging off the bed, and saw that Grimmjow was sitting there. Apparently, the arrancar had drifted off into a light doze. _And if that was a memory… _She closed her fist and breathed into his pillow. _Then I can still win this game of chess. The pawns may be down and the king in check, but the queen has yet to make her move._

Haru shut her eyes and recalled the words her father had spoken, the name that had long since been buried beneath years and years of suffering, the name that had not come to her when she had stood outside of Aizen's door but had come to her now, in her moment of most desperate need. With a sigh, she felt herself drifting back to sleep. There, she could escape at least a little longer, but her body told her there was no time if the rites were to be performed. She sat up again and leapt off the bed, dropping to one knee beside Grimmjow. As expected, his eyes were closed, and the breaths he expelled were so far apart that he had to be sleeping. She paused for a moment and examined his face, noting the disgruntled look that nothing, not even unconsciousness, could take away from him. Laughing slightly, Haru pulled the haori-like garmet off of her shoulders and draped it over him. "Grimmjow-san," she said, quietly enough to keep him from waking. "Hontou ni arigato. You protected me when I most needed protecting. I hope that kindness will come back to you, even if it is at my cost." For the first time since she arrived, a genuine smile lit her face. She rose with a purpose and with an air that implied a good sense of direction. She paced towards the door and shut it gently behind her without looking back, then started down the hall at a march, her shoulders squared with determination.

Had she passed anyone, she would have killed them on sight without hesitation, but for the moment, her Seele Schneider remained clean. She pushed on the appropriate door, then quickly shut it behind her. Immediately, she flashed to her bed and thrust her hand under it, first extracting the violin, then the uniform she had discarded. It felt so foreign to her, and it looked even more so. In a dark place like that, where she was used to wearing white, she nearly got lost in it. Her fingers trailed over the fabric bands that were intended to be on her arms, then traced the phoenix embroidered on her sash.

After gathering the components of her uniform, Haru threw her current attire to the ground. The black fabric felt luscious against her skin, the bands a welcome pressure, the sash a sign she proudly bore. Carefully, she tucked the ring Byakuya had given her beneath her uniform and adjusted the position of her Seele Schneider. Once she pulled the drawer open, she retrieved her glasses and the restraint for her hair. She was patient with her locks tonight, and they were compliant, for she had restrained them all in record time. Then, she placed the glasses on her nose and pushed them up. _I will use this violin to call for Suzaku, but first, _she thought, touching the ring beneath her uniform and pulling out her instrument. _A serenade to you, my moon. Wherever you are, I hope this song reaches your ears…_

Haru set the bow to the string and pulled it back, listening to the lonely yet satisfied sound it made. She never perceived the approaching presence, nor did she see him raise a hand to knock just as she began. For some reason, he hesitated, content just to listen to her song for a moment, even though he knew it was not meant for his ears. Something new in him stirred, something he had never felt before, and the apparatus that stirred it was not the girl but the music she played. He held his breath until he realized he looked like a fool, standing there with his hand raised to knock. Staring at the garment she had left with him, he told himself he could return it later and turned away, followed by the echoing phantom of that hauntingly beautiful melody.

* * *

Night, Byakuya had long since decided, was the loneliest hour, especially when he still wasn't used to waking up alone, especially when he stirred in its darkest moments with her name on his lips. But on that night, it was no dream that woke him, nor was it his own desire to glimpse the one who always lay beside him. Even as he woke, he perceived with his mind's ear a faint and mournful sound. Sitting up, he shook his head and rattled sleep until it deserted him. Once he felt he was coherent enough, he abandoned his bed and threw his door open, pacing down the hall until he came to a door that would lead him outside. He ignored the frigid dew on the grass, and the sound of dry leaves under his feet did nothing to disrupt the melody whirling through his head. _That melody… it is the same one she played the night before she betrayed us all. _

For some reason, the word "betrayed" troubled him. It always had, ever since the day Takumi started giving him little pieces of advice that seemed to imply… but no, it was unreasonable. True, he had hopes that it was merely a nightmare that he would wake up from, but the passage of time had proven that his hopes were vain, and Kuchiki Byakuya was not a man who let himself be swayed by vain hopes. _Still… _he thought as his eyes scanned the sky. He had no idea what he was looking for, but something told him to look south. As he did, he caught sight of Suzaku on the horizon. _Why am I hearing your song now? Why am I looking for some sort of sign? Reality is the ultimate trump card, and it does not discriminate against people for their status. I full well know reality…_

Byakuya turned away to reenter his manor in search of sleep, but he paused before he even set one foot over the threshold. _And the reality of the matter is… that Haru-kun has never made promises lightly. _He turned back to read the stars again, tracing Suzaku's shape with his eyes. _I cannot make the wind blow, _he told himself, hating the fact that he relied on Takumi's words in that sacred moment. Shutting his eyes, he listened to the music darting through his mind, closing his hands around empty air. _But I can give chase to a gust that has already gone by. _With his typical noble poise, Byakuya ascended and shut his door, goaded by the tune in his head to return to his room. Once he laid down, he imagined her playing a different tune, this one more like a plea than a serenade. It served to send him to sleep so that, when he woke in the morning, he only remembered reality… reality, and his futile hopes.

* * *

Congrats on making it through another chapter. As a reward, you get… no, not cookies! Something better than cookies! It's another rousing Japanese lesson!

Kuso: Japanese swear word. Yay!

Baka: Idiot

Nani: What

Ano: Japanese version of "um."

Arigato: Thanks

Sumimasen: Excuse me

Hai: Yes

Gomen: Apology

Demo: But

Iie: No

Urusai: Shut up

Gomenasai: Formal apology

Daijobu desu ka: Are you alright

Hontou ni arigato: Really, thanks

For those of you who have forgotten, gatsutaihou is a hadou of my own invention. I can't remember when it last came up, so I thought I would remind you all. ^_^ Hugs to all my readers again. Objective for the week: upload another chapter shortly! I hope you enjoyed this one! Until next time, happy reading!


	24. Chapter 24: Escape

A/N: Objective (finally) met! I promised you all a chapter in the next week, and here it is, but HOLY CRAP. It was a struggle to get it to 10,000 words… it was originally 8,000. At least I'm happier with it now than I was when I started editing. Yeesh… the things I do for you guys (I am, of course, joking. For my readers/reviewers/stalkers, I would do almost anything). Anyway… I blame the delay on Durarara! Which is epic. Just like Baccano! In fact, a couple of Baccano! characters make a cameo appearance in episode 10. Curse you, Durarara! You're so addictive, you should come with a surgeon general warning!

Just to let you guys know, I'm going to be "gone" for a few days (that is, I am getting my arse invaded by real life friends who, sadly, do not like anime… but that doesn't mean we won't have fun. ^^). HOWEVER, this thing is winding down. I'll try to get the last chapter up sometime next week. As usual, no promises. This is just my personal objective, and I'll probably kill myself trying to get it done, but I'll get it done nonetheless. ^_^

Shoutout to the reviewers: Snowgirl7589, NAO-chan33, and ladydeath100. So few… X_X' Methinks I lost some readership when I went to grad school. Curse you, grad school!

At any rate, I won't let it get me down too much. Enjoy the chapter all. ^_^

* * *

_Chapter 24: Escape_

She played, and the moon listened.

Haru wasn't sure how long she played, but the tune felt timeless. It instilled timelessness in her. For some reason, even if she was playing for someone else, she felt soothed. It was almost as if Byakuya was there with her. In the back of her mind, she tried to imagine him sleeping, but for some reason, she could only see him standing under the moon in that charcoal sleeping yukata, gazing up at the luminous silvery eye while becoming absorbed in his own world of thought. _What would the think if he saw me now? _The very thought made her smile.

Without stopping, Haru glanced towards the door. She had heard a footstep outside, but realizing it was only Grimmjow, she continued. _Consider this my silent thanks to you, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, for guarding me all this time, and for making sure I didn't succumb in my greatest moment of vulnerability. _She smiled and let her fingers dance across the strings, her violet eyes filled with moonlight, which made them appear uncannily silver. She supposed that he felt rather shocked when he had stumbled into his chambers only to find a girl sprawled out on his floor, less than half conscious and more than shattered. _I'll apologize to him properly if I ever get the chance, _Haru told herself, peering at the sands below her window and musing. _The night seems so bleak and peaceful here. What a pity… that in a short period of time, I'll be shattering it. _Even as that thought crossed Haru's mind, she never missed a note. She played with controlled passion, stopping mid-note only when the quiet call of her zanpakutoh shook her consciousness. She peered towards the door again, surprised to see it closed, surprised to find it devoid of Grimmjow's presence. _That was him, right? _Haru smiled and dropped her eyes. _Baka neko. _

In truth, she wasn't surprised that Grimmjow had left. She was surprised that she hadn't been caught yet. After all, she had dressed for the occasion early. All it would have taken was one hollow to open the door. It would have seen her kneeling on the bed in her shinigami uniform, her hair restrained, her glasses on. _I would have killed it before it got away, _Haru thought, slipping the instrument into its case. _Ruthless… it certainly is, but I've come too far to let my plans be spoiled by anyone._ Even though she thought that, she pressed a hand over her heart as a pang of doubt worked its way into her blood. She hadn't yet found Suzaku, nor had she found her objective. There were still so many things that could go wrong. The details flooded her mind, making her question the scheme and agonize intensely over the anguish that riddled her soul. The music was gone; she had no shield to protect her. She had counted the days diligently. It had been nearly two weeks… eleven days exactly. It had been that long since she had held Suzaku in her hands. The phoenix had constantly been in her thoughts in spite of her physical (and now psychological) absence.

She had heard the call once. Now, it came again. As she sat in the silence, a melody echoed through her insides and drew her into a standing position. She held the violin case and turned towards the door. _Suzaku, where are you? _When only silence answered, she told herself she had been imagining things, yet how could she have been? She had heard it twice. She waited for something clearer, something more concrete, something understandable. Suzaku remained silent for a time, and Haru silently prayed that her sword had not already been destroyed, but a moment later, three simple words came to her, pacifying her growing anxiety and momentarily resurrecting hope.

_Follow my voice, _she answered.

_Nani? _Haru inquired.

_You can hear it echoing, can't you?_

_It's faint, but I can. Can't you speak any louder?_

_If I speak any louder, then this will all be for naught, and you will be thrust into a cage without a key. They will know I am speaking with you._

_They… they who?_

_Follow my voice._

_Suzaku, do you even understand what Aizen intends to do?_

_I am well aware._ Suzaku paused. _I feel that you doubt yourself and your own abilities. You think just because you have not held me in eleven days, you won't be able to do anything in the end._

_You know me too well, Suzaku._

_Because I am part of you, _the phoenix answered. _I believe in you, Haru-sama. You will not let them destroy me. _Haru turned round and took one last look at the walls, as if skeptical of her solitude. She set her violin down for a moment and seized the haori, draping it around her shoulders and wrapping it around her. The rich fabric cascaded around her like a waterfall. It was a little looser than it had been. So, she had lost weight during her stay after all. Slowly shaking her head in dismay, she seized her violin and strode towards the door. She already knew the hallway would be empty, and knowing that made stepping out easier. Once she had crossed the threshold, she shut the door silently behind her without looking back.

_No matter what happens now, _she said as she strode to the end of the hall, _I can live or die knowing that I got farther than a lot of people would have… not that it makes me better than them, _she added hastily, pushing her glasses eyes disappeared behind their lids as Haru inhaled and raised her left hand. The quincy cross glimmered faintly in the poor light. When she stopped to listen, just beyond the beat of her heart was a faint murmur drifting through the air, and somehow, without knowing with certainty how she knew, she caught the direction from whence it came. Her eyes shot open, and she flashed in her chosen direction, keeping her quincy weapon handy just in case she happened to meet anyone along the way.

_Haru-sama…_

_I'm coming, Suzaku, _she answered. _Wait for me. _Haru bolted around another corner and flashed down the hallway. _No matter what happens now… _she thought, her eyes clouding. _Yes… no matter what happens now, even if it's for nothing in the end, even if everything my precious world is obliterated, even if the sun ceases to shine and the stars fall into the ocean… _Haru touched the ring underneath her shihakusho. Her skin looked so pale against the black fabric. She couldn't fight the slight heat that rose to her face as she thought of him. _Even if all that happened, I would still regret nothing._

* * *

When Mari came home, she was surprised to find her little brother standing in the middle of their front yard, his eyes turned southward, his hand closed around the eye patch, which hung limply from it. "Takumi," she said. "Oi, Takumi! Get your head out of the clouds, damn it!" He ignored her pleas, and she sighed walking up behind him and thumping her palm against the back of her head. He yelped and turned to her, his mismatched eyes bewildered. "Baka… standing out here in the middle of the night staring… just what were you looking at?" Without answering, he pointed to the south. "Eh? I don't see what's so different about it."

"Suzaku."

"Come again?"

"Suzaku," he repeated. "It's so bright tonight."

"Why does that matter?"

"Because it was her sword."

"What? You going on about that girl you've got a thing for?"

"Onee-chan!" he shouted. "I insist I don't have a thing for anyone!"

"Nonsense. I know my little brother well enough. Look! You're even blushing! How adorable!"

"Urusai! What goes on between me and Momo-san is none of your business!"

"So, you're not denying it after all?"

"I am denying it!" he shouted. "Besides…" He moved to rub the back of his head, but Mari seized his wrist and stared at it, then slowly raised her eyes to him.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Betsuni."

"You pick another fight?"

"Iie," he insisted.

"Then what?" He shifted his gaze to the constellation again, then bowed his head and remained silent for a time. A brisk wind stirred around them. In the back of the house, a wind chime sang its desolate tune into the night. She tightened her grip as he let out a breath. Something silver shined on his face and descended.

"It was horrible."

"What was?"

"All those memories… they all ran together. Past, present, future… a line of invisible kanji that speaks to the eye… then, there was…" He covered his eyes with his hands. "There was a scream of agony so heartbreaking… that I had to do this to myself to keep my wits about me." He raised his hand and clenched his palm. She didn't even flinch when the warm blood oozed through the bandage and dripped onto her wrist. "It was her…" Takumi's hand fell, and his eyes desperately penetrated her. "It was Haru."

"Haru?" she asked. "I thought Hinamori was the one you had the thing for." Takumi's eyes sharpened slightly, and he scoffed.

"You can't even be serious when I'm talking to you about something important."

"Sorry… just trying to lighten the mood." He raised his eyes again.

"It's begun," he murmured, turning to her. "It…"

"Oi, Takumi!" He tottered on his feet and fell forward. Immediately, she fell to her knees and rested his head in her lap, pulling his sleeve up and looking at the jagged black lines along it. "Takumi…" she murmured. "Baka! You weren't supposed to look!"

"Gomen… onee-chan…" he managed. "I feel… really tired."

"Oi, get it together! At least stay awake until I can get you inside! It's a pain in the ass to carry someone a foot taller than you. Oi!" But he was beyond perception. Takumi was suspended in his own thoughts, laying on whatever ground there was there and burning alive. Strangely, he was still. He barely breathed or moved. Motionless, he remained in limbo, blinded by the power of his own sight.

_I wonder… _he thought. _I wonder… what the end result of all this will be. Will our only hope be smote off of her very wick, or will she flicker on in spite of her own hardship? _He felt the anger burn inside of him, but he didn't move. _I can't see it… _Even though he was unconscious and incapable of hearing or seeing, he still thought it. _I can't see it!_

Even in that state, Takumi felt the tears running down his face. A moment later, he was drowned by his own futility.

* * *

As Haru drew closer to the location, she detected what had put the slight anxiety into Suzaku's voice. Espada… two of them, and if she wasn't wrong, she already knew who the two were. She was acquainted with the battle tactics of both. _It doesn't matter, _she said firmly.

_Haru-sama?_

_It doesn't matter, _she said again. Despite her lack of faith in herself, her knowledge that a million things could still prevent her escape, she clung to that single thread of thought that said she would get out. The flames of determination burned strongly within her. Her heart was a furnace that sent the flames through her blood. _I don't care who it is. I won't let anyone destroy you, not the espada, not the shinigami, not my grandfather, and certainly as hell not Aizen._

_Haru-sama, _Suzaku said.

_Why are you hesitating now? _she asked. _If you have something to say, then say it._

_I was merely wondering… did something… happen?_

_Nande? Do I seem different?_

_I sense a new flame in you, one that is not the second risen form, and one that was not here four days ago before I began my leave of absence._

_I learned the name of a technique I had long forgotten, one that I was introduced to before you even came into being, _she replied. _It isn't one of yours… it was my father's, when he was alive. He entrusted that form to me, saying that I would one day use it to protect everything precious to me. That includes you, Suzaku, but if you see such a form unfit for a shinigami, if you find that I am coming too close to denying you…_

_Haru-sama, I have never minded you using a Seele Schneider. That weapon is not a sword. _Haru swallowed and turned, whipping around the corner and flashing forward again. _I know you are not a normal shinigami. I have always known that, no matter how close we get, you will always retain a part of your quincy identity. I expected it, and I embrace it now just as you have since you confessed to the Kuchiki._

_Don't say his name, for the god's sakes, _Haru answered hastily, stumbling and covering her face with her free hand. _My feelings for him haven't changed, but I'm very concerned for his well-being at the present. Anyway, did you find what you were looking for?_

_Hai, _the phoenix replied. _When you release bankai again, I will teach you the second risen form. _

_I look forward to the challenge._

_You shouldn't count your chickens before they hatch, _Suzaku answered._ If I am permanently eradicated, then both your limiters will be obliterated, just as it would if you ever used another sword. _

_I understand. _

_They have already been weakened by the medication Aizen has been slipping you, though the process seems to have reversed itself somewhat. _

_Hmm… it may be the form I recovered. It is aimed at solidifying unity… _Haru stopped as a sudden feeling of anxiety welled up in her.

_What happened? Did you see a hollow?_

_Kuso! _Haru thought. _I still haven't located what I came here for! I'm such an idiot… how the hell could I forget something like that?_

_It's fine. You've had a lot on your mind, it sounds like. _Haru shook her head in an effort to collect her thoughts. In the end, it was Suzaku that did it, and with her words of encouragement. _I will direct you to the hougyoku once you arrive. Until then, focus on me, Haru-sama, and only me. _Haru rammed the rest of her discontent into the back of her mind and vaulted forward again. She knew she was nearing her sword because the faint voice was growing a little louder, just below the level that her ears could hear. At the same time, she was vaguely aware that she was quickly running out of time.

_If I don't make it in time, _she thought, _then it's over… Byakuya-sama and Ishi-nii will both be murdered, and Soul Society… I will become the part of the force that topples it. I can't… _Haru clenched her fist around the violin case. _I said I would have no regrets even if I didn't succeed, demo… I cannot in good conscience allow myself to fail. Not now, not ever. I will protect them… I will protect my right to be a captain, and I will protect the ones who support me, but above all else, I will protect those who gave me this opportunity. I will make it out of this place, and when I do, I will fulfill my promise to Takumi. Then… _Haru paused and touched the ring under her uniform. _Then, I will give him… the answer he asked of me. _It was something Haru couldn't say she was looking forward to, especially since he had so many hurdles to jump before she could actually provide him with what he desired. Still, she resolved to do it one day soon, when she returned to Soul Society. _Suzaku, do you think they will treat me like a prisoner when I return?_

_Even if they do, the old man will stand witness to your loyalty._

_Souka, _she answered. _I had almost forgotten… that Soutaichou-sama knows the real reason I left Soul Society._

She recalled the conversation well now that Suzaku had brought it up, the way he saw right through the ruse she gave for departing, the grim manner in which he stated his orders. "You will go to Hueco Mundo no matter what I say now," he had stated, arms folded behind his back as he gazed out at Soul Society. Haru stood just behind him, examining the same scene with serene eyes. "What you do there is none of my business as long as your loyalty rests here. However, you are to stay for no longer than two weeks, and you are to leave under the pretense of betrayal."

"I had planned on doing so," Haru replied, pacing forward and turning to him with a slight bow. "To add validity to this, I am taking Hinamori Momo with me so I can show her the world I left behind, the world that stands to suffer if we should lose this war. Besides, it would do her some good to leave Soul Society for a brief time."

"And?" He detected that there was more before she could even give any indicator. Haru hesitated, then let her brows fall together. A captain wouldn't hesitate, and neither would she, not unless she had just cause, at least.

"I am taking Fujiwara Takumi as well."

"Fujiwara?"

"Don't sound so skeptical. I am familiar with his strength, as well as his condition. Perhaps I am overoptimistic in thinking that some time away from Soul Society will do anything to change it…"

"I will not stop you, Haru-sama, but I must caution you that a division can only have one vice captain."

"I know," she answered, "and if I do not make the choice, then they will be forced to fight each other." Haru paused and sighed, feeling the difficulty of the matter weigh down on her. "I will study them during my time away and make my decision when I return. I ask that you do nothing to settle the matter until then."

"As you wish," Yamamoto replied. "You are now officially no longer part of the sixth division. Effective upon your return, you will take over the leadership of the fifth division."

"The fifth?" Haru echoed. Knowing that the look in her eyes betrayed her, she immediately turned away.

"Is there a problem, Haru-sama?"

"Iie." The smile darted across her voice, and as she turned back to the captain, she folded her hands innocently to counter the devilish glimmer in her eyes. "I just think it is terribly ironic… that I should inherit the division that Aizen received when my mother deserted Soul Society. It would be a pretty low blow to his pride, if he ever had any pride in being a captain."

"Indeed, it is something that you could never stomach, being instilled with a quincy's pride."

"An insurance policy on my loyalty, hmm?" Haru stated, whirling around and walking across the room. "This is farewell, Soutaichou-sama. May fortune see to it that we meet again under better circumstances."

"I will await your safe return."

_If he thinks I can make it out, _Haru thought as she returned to the present, _then I have to at least have a small chance. _Haru paused again to get her bearings, then flashed away again, knowing that the deciding moment was fast approaching. _In this moment, my fate will be decided. I will either rise above the sun, or else I shall fall into the dark pit of oblivion. I will either retain my sovereignty or become a puppet to evil purposes. The only gambling chip I have now is my pride, and that is something that will never burn out._

Haru pulled out her Seele Schneider and materialized the blade. She didn't even bother trying opening the door before making seven or eight cuts in it and thrusting a foot against it. Two pairs of eyes turned to the door, but Haru only saw her sword. The blade of her quincy weapon crumbled to dust, and by the time she arrived at her destination, she had tucked it into her obi. She rested one hand on the hilt of her weapon, throwing her eyes towards the startled octava espada, then glancing towards Nnoitora, who was already preparing to cut her down. Haru slammed her foot against the hilt of Szayel's undrawn sword and dropped into a crouch. The blade sailed right over her head, missing them both just by an inch. With equal force, she thrust her violin case against his chin and seized Suzaku's sheath in an attempt to stabilize himself. He slipped right off the end of it, looking none too pleased at her assault and moving to seize his own sword.

"You're too slow," she stated calmly, vanishing from sight before he had even half-drawn his weapon. The only things he saw were a faint golden light and the tail ends of a red ribbon. He lowered his sword and cut nothing but air, then immediately dropped it as blood erupted from countless lacerations on his skin. Nnoitora moved towards the door, but she had anticipated that. She appeared in the doorway and raised the hand holding the violin case before shutting her eyes and murmuring in a low tone, "Bakudou no jyuunii: genwakusenkou." A blinding flash of light skewed his senses and paralyzed him. By the time he had recovered, she was already gone and beyond detection.

"Son of a bitch," he growled, turning to Szayel, who seemed to be enjoying the crimson stains that now decorated his uniform and the floor. "The hell are you so happy about?"

"That girl… seems a little more fascinating than I had first anticipated."

"I'm going to kill her…"

"I wouldn't go if I were you."

"And why the hell not?"

"For one thing, she is already very familiar with your fighting style, and for another… that look in her eyes was like death."

"I don't care about dying! I'm gonna kill her because I damn well please!"

"Yes, but there are more efficient ways of doing so," Szayel said calmly, smirking as he staggered through his laboratory. "Just give me this opportunity to collect a little more data on her. Then, I promise you can kill her." Nnoitora usually wasn't patient, but he had seen the fruitful results of collaborating with Szayel in the past. Even if his instinct screamed for a fight, he willed his body into submission and began, much to his displeasure, to wait for their next encounter.

* * *

Haru stopped running for a moment and hunched over to catch her breath. Her heart was racing, not just from the run but from the adrenaline. _The true betrayal begins, _she thought, pushing herself up and recalling that she had no time to rest, not yet. She wouldn't rest again until she was free. Haru tightened her grip around Suzaku and flashed forward. _How much further?_

_It is straight ahead._

_Is there anyone in the area?_

_Iie, not that I can perceive. _Haru would have checked herself, but sending her reiatsu out would have been dangerous, not to mention foolish. She had no idea whose attention she would attract, but at the moment, she wanted to be as subtle as possible. Haru slid to a stop and wrapped a hand around the door. Of course, he would keep it locked… how troublesome. _You recognize the structure of this lock. It only responds to certain reiatsu._

_I know, _she answered, shutting her eyes and recalling the feeling of Aizen's hand against the flesh of her wrist. _I will make him regret meddling in my life and being so bold as to lay a hand on my flesh. His audacity will be his undoing. _She let her eyes open as she relaxed her hand, but her vision remained unfocused. _It will not be as powerful as his, but if I'm correct, the signal should bear such a close resemblance that it shouldn't matter in the end. _Haru remembered the feeling that drifted through her sink from his fingers, making minor adjustments on her own reiatsu. She felt herself growing frightened and impatient, but her emotions would only interfere. With a sigh, she set them free and tugged the door open. Haru flung herself inside and shut it behind her.

_Aizen will no doubt know the situation now, as will anyone who is with him._

_Let him know, _Haru answered, pacing towards the column in the middle of the room, reaching to her hip but no higher. She rested a hand on it, focusing on recreating her nearly perfect mimicry of Aizen's spiritual pressure. _He cannot stop me. No one can stop me. I won't let them. I left far too much behind to die now. _

_Haru-sama…_

_I know I'm being ruthless, and the fact of the matter is that scares me more than anything. I don't want to be my grandfather. I don't want to be my mother. I just want to be Yamashita Haru. I understand the responsibilities that entails as far as the Yamashita clan goes, and as for captainhood, I am still searching for it, but once I find that, nothing will hold me back. I have made many oaths to myself, Suzaku, and now I make one to you: I will use this power and authority, all of it, to safeguard the things I hold precious in my life. Byakuya-sama, Ishi-nii, Takumi, Momo-san… all those people I left behind… I will protect them, even if it costs me everything, and if I ever use it for anything else, Suzaku, then by all means, smite the flame of life that burns within me._

Without further effort, the pillar unfolded into six pieces of equal size to unveil the prize she had sought. She stared at it for a moment before reaching out and lifting the gem from its hiding place. _This… is the hougyoku? _Haru lifted it to the light and peered at it. Only one thought crossed her mind, and that was a silent prayer that she would make it out alive with her bounty in tow. _Amazing… that something so small could be so powerful._

_Yet aren't you living proof of that, Haru-sama?_

_A valid point, _she answered, dropping to one knee and setting her violin case down. She turned it over, then opened the other side, which did not hold an instrument as most people assumed but was actually a compartment for sheet music. Haru had put it to other uses before leaving the Human World.

_A counterfeit?_

_My grandfather is capable of some amazing things, Suzaku. That much, I must begrudgingly admit. _After placing the counterfeit in its cousin's place, she peered at the genuine stone in her hand, comparing the sight of the two to ensure that it was convincing. _It's enough to fool the eye. At the very least, it will buy me some time… and that is really what I'm looking for. _She resealed the pillar and slumped against it, gritting her teeth as it scraped against her back.

_Haru-sama…_

_I'm fine, _she responded, winding her hand around her waist and drawing a series of short breaths. In the other, the hougyoku remained, resting against her palm, a weight just heavy enough for her to acknowledge its presence. _I just… I'm a little dizzy. Do you think my limiters are coming loose?_

_They shouldn't be. _Again, the response was hollow. Haru quivered and glanced to her hand. _Haru-sama…_

_Hmm?_

_No matter what happens, don't fall asleep._

_Hai, _she answered, shutting her eyes to get her bearings, to think. That was what she really needed. Haru loosened her haori a little and let her mind wander. _Suzaku, do you think it's odd that… iie, perhaps I shouldn't say. _Her violet eyes glimmered through her glasses. Then, she smiled and shook her head. _I feel this need, Suzaku, this desire… I want to protect my precious world, and everything in it, but at the same time, I find myself wanting to protect…_

_I know, _Suzaku answered. _It was… he… was a memory you lost when you died. _A series of images flashed through Haru's head: the sound of her name, the headlights, the gray sky, rain pelting her skin, her body hitting the pavement. Her eyes flickered faintly. She could almost hear it, that voice calling out to her… why did it sound familiar? She shook it out of thought and shifted her body again. _I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting that._

_Even though it's selfish, countercultural, abberant? Even though it goes against every teaching I've received from Ishi-nii, from sensei, from Shinji? Even though Soul Society would spit me out if they ever discovered the truth? _Haru smiled bitterly and pressed a hand to her face. _What fate would that leave us? _

_We would carve our own out… gently. _Haru lifted her head and smiled.

_Yes… I suppose you're right. _She shifted her eyes and swore under her breath again. _Son of a…_

_What is it?_

_I thought of just about everything when I came here, even if there were contingent factors that could change my tactics, _she stated, _but I never once considered how I was getting out._

_Haru-sama…_

_I know, _she answered, balling her hand around the stone and drawing it close. _No matter what happens, I have to get out. If I can get out, then I can protect Byakuya-sama, and Ishi-nii, and Ichigo-san, and everyone else I left behind. If I get out, I'll get to see the sun again, and feel the rain against my skin. I'll get to be a captain, lead a division… _The elation was too much to bear, and she bowed her head, dropping tears on the stone's surface before tightening her fist and drawing it closer. _That future I've always dreamed of, the one where we finally get to belong… it's so close, I can almost touch it. All that stands between me is a door. _Haru clutched the stone closely to her. _Onegai… I want a door… _She drew a slow breath, feeling its weight shifting, its energy changing constantly like her own but on a whole different level. She shut her eyes and raised her head to the ceiling in silent prayer. _A door… that will lead me home._

Amidst her wishing, something made her jolt and drew her full attention to her surroundings. Her eyes flickered. With alacrity, she nestled the stone inside her violin case and shut it, locking it with haste and trying to rise but falling abruptly to one knee. She could still feel it against her hand even though it was obviously absent. _Haru-sama, you shouldn't try moving yet._

_I'm fine, _she answered. _Besides, if I don't move… _Haru's eyes glimmered. _If I don't move, then how can I expect to get out of this alive?_

_Indeed, _Suzaku answered. _The problem no longer seems to be a door._

_I lingered too long. _Haru paused, then added faintly, _Gomen, Suzaku._

_Why are you—_

_Because if I had been stronger, maybe we could have gotten out without shedding blood._

_Did you really have such an unrealistic expectation?_

_Considering this strange impulse to protect, yes, I had hoped… _But all her hopes were in vain. She realized that, and with the realization, she bowed her head and smiled bitterly. _I hoped too much. _Haru found herself wishing for it, wishing for a day without bloodshed. _But what good is it… to shed blood on my way there? None at all. _Haru knotted the sash around two silver hoops on the side of her violin case and strapped it to her back, ensuring that it was secure before heaving a slow sigh. _Perhaps there never will be a day where I don't have to shed blood to preserve my precious world. Even if there isn't, if I can say I can spare just one hollow, then isn't that enough? _She waited for Suzaku to answer, but she heard nothing. _A world without lines… that's one I'd like to create._

_Haru-sama, _Suzaku murmured. She could feel her zanpakutoh beaming inside of her. _Don't you know… that you already have? _Haru didn't understand. _Look inside yourself. What do you see?_

_That rainy place, with you and the tree, and the lotuses everywhere, the sky above and the sea below._

_Exactly, _Suzaku murmured. _The horizon is a line you can never eliminate. Sky will always be different than water. Still, the lines of the natural world are not those you strive to eliminate. It's those of the salient world you wish to distort. Haven't you done that already? You're willing to embrace anyone who isn't your enemy, regardless of caste, past, or race. Shinigami, vizard, quincy… you look upon them all as your allies, even that hollow you saved back then._

_That is true._

_Then what are you waiting for? _Suzaku demanded. _Defend it. Defend it with me, and with your life. _Haru paused for a moment, heard the rustling outside the door, and drew a slow breath.

_Hai, _she answered firmly, bowing her head, then standing fully erect and smoothing the hems of her haori. _I am a shinigami in the enemy's nest. As much as I want to keep believing that I will never be bound by lines of that nature, I must survive, and in order to do that, now, in this moment, I must forget my restraint. I must cut down anything or anyone that tries to stop me indiscriminately. _She stopped, then smiled bitterly and pushed her glasses up her nose. _Kuso… I am more like him than I ever wanted to admit. This troubles me…_

_Do not let it trouble you, Haru-sama. These are circumstances that call for the ruthlessness of a Yamashita._

_Hai, _she answered, reaching back for her Seele Schneider and darting towards the door. She raised her zanpakutoh and turned it so the flat end of the blade touched her forehead. _Suzaku…_

_Hmm?_

_If I live through this, _she began hesitantly. Haru paused and wondered if she could even be that optimistic, considering the sheer number of forces she faced. _If I live through this, I want you to teach me the third risen form, not just the second._

_Haru-sama…_

_I didn't say concurrently. Each form must be learned in its proper order and with appropriate timing, but the hour will soon arise when I will need every bit of strength I can get. Please, Suzaku… I have to protect them. I need a real trump card, the pinnacle of my power._

_The third form has not yet developed, _Suzaku answered, _but we have forged the second._

_That isn't good enough. Tell me what I have to do for the third._

_I will tell you, _stated the phoenix gently, _but first, get out of here alive. Show me your willpower, Haru-sama. Show me… just how brightly your pride burns. _Haru materialized her quincy weapon and extended her sword, letting her arm drop to her side.

_I take no pride in fighting, Suzaku… only in protecting the things that are most precious to me, and in order to do that, if I must, I… _Haru shut her eyes and did the only thing she could. She waited. Yet she wasn't left waiting for long; the door soon gave way to the abuse it was receiving. Before the first one could move into the room, Haru raced forward and cut it down. The second fell just as quickly, and she thrust her foot against its corpse, sailing into the air and landing in their midst. After that, all she knew was what her instinct told her. She cut them down in pairs and trios, darting among them and narrowly avoiding every blow they threw at her. When her Seele met their blades, they were sliced in half. Then, they had nothing to defend themselves from Suzaku, who whirled up behind the gleaming weapon. _Fifteen point five, _she told herself, impaling one who was foolish enough to charge her head-on while simultaneously sweeping her zanpakutoh behind her to cut down another.

Haru gritted her teeth as she felt a blade pierce her shoulder. She nearly lost what was left of her mind, but she retained enough sense to slice through the sword with her Seele and then ram her fist against the bone mask. Her other hand pulled the metal out and threw it as she sagged against a wall and tried to catch her breath. The broken weapon clattered to the ground with a generous amount of blood. She could hear herself gasping for breath, but she felt so distant from her body that she somehow failed to perceive the pain or the weakness that should have shaken her more than it did. Five of them came at her, she took three down in one sweep, ran the other through, twisted her blade and parted its flesh, ducked a blow meant to impale her, then made two upward cuts that left the only remaining hollow in pieces.

Another sword severed the skin on her other arm. The wound was deep, but she could still move. She cut her assailant down and proceeded to exact revenge on several of its closest comrades. It seemed every time she murdered one, two more would come up in its place. Still, she never quit swinging her sword. She gritted her teeth until her jaw hurt, and as she whirled about in her dance of death, she managed to keep her remaining injuries minor in nature: a small cut to the side of her thigh, a laceration across the neck, one sweep across her cheek, one across the back of her right hand… each wound she received, she paid back with high interest, but she always guarded her back well.

There came a point when she no longer knew which blood belonged to her and which blood belonged to the hollow. She only knew that she kept swinging both of her weapons, even when her vision blurred, her mind screamed in agony, and her body begged for a rest. Haru only knew one thing, one piece of knowledge that existed somewhere beyond logic and emotion: she needed to live. It didn't matter what atrocities she committed to survive; those, she could deal with once she was out of that place. The very thought made her smile as she whirled to another enemy and took its head off in one stroke. A bit of blood flecked her glasses, but it wasn't enough to impair her vision. She kept moving as if nothing had happened, whirling about and making cut after cut until the last one fell.

When she stopped to see the carnage she had caused, she almost screamed in fear of herself. The only thing keeping her quiet was the fire in her muscles and her bones, the burning pain sweeping across each of her wounds, and the silent promise that soon, one way or another, her struggle would come to an end. Exhausted, she sank to her knees in the hallway that had been her battlefield amidst endless corpses and a sea of red-black blood. Her breaths were ragged and agonized, the mark on her back burned as if begging to be released, but more than anything, she felt the wear the entire thing had had on her. The constancy she had experienced during her eleven peaceful days in Hueco Mundo, the limbo she had been forced to endure, pretending to be an ally of the man she despised more than every social boundary in the world… it was a tense peace, but a peace nonetheless. Now, she had marred that peace. Now, the hardest part of her struggle was before her. She slammed her sword into the stone until it cracked and let her head fall into a bowed position.

_This is taxing, not just on my body, but on my psyche as well. If I had to continue any longer…_

_Now is not the time to consider that, _Suzaku interrupted. _You need to focus on a way out of here._

_A way out… _Haru shifted her head slightly. She wasn't quite sure when her hair had been released from its restraint, but it seemed shorter for some reason. She ran a hand along to its end and peered at it. "Kuso," she said under her breath. Whoever had cut it free had also taken several precious inches off. _At least I can sleep knowing I killed the bastard. Still, ojii-sama won't be pleased, and neither will Byakuya-sama… if he even forgives me… _

_As much as I hate to interrupt your inner monologue, I must insist that you focus, Haru-sama._

_What can I do now? _she asked her sword. _It was all I could to do kill them. You can't honestly expect me to get out of this mess without some kind of gate…_

_You must decide that for yourself. This is something I cannot help you with. _Haru let her eyes fall shut as her head whirled violently.

_Gate, _she thought, closing her hand around her sword as a vivid image flashed in her head. _Gate… _Again, she saw a mouth tear across the sky and open. _Garganta… but it's impossible. I could never be capable of something like… _Haru's eyes shot open. _Iie… perhaps… I am. _Her memory of garganta was very vivid. She had only seen it a handful of times, and she had only traveled through one once, but the vibrations in the reishi, the split in dimensions, the exact tweaking of reiatsu needed to open such a thing, all of those things lingered in her memory, both in her mind and her body. _If I can manipulate my reiatsu to that exact frequency and reorganize the reishi, I may just be able to do it. Demo… if I fail… where will I end up? _She shook the negativity out of her mind and rose, determined yet weary, to perform what she thought was an impossible task.

Haru knew it was dangerous to stay in one place for long, but her situation forced her to. She found her body rather unwilling to move after her stint earlier, and she needed to shut herself off from everything in order to call the exact frequency, the exact vibrations of the reishi, to memory… not to mention, she was having difficulty finding the reiatsu to do it. _Kuso… I thought gentei kaijou was eroding, but now, I'm having my doubts. _Haru shut her eyes and allowed her arms to drop, keeping hold of her weapons yet letting go of her perception that she was holding them. The memory surfaced, as if it had been perfectly preserved in the brine of her subconscious. She drew a breath and focused her mind on creating it, slipping her Seele into the floor and raising her hand to manipulate the spirit particles. Her reiatsu began shifting, and though her back was practically on fire, though she nearly cried out from the agony that ate away at her flesh, she endured it with a stone's patience. She felt herself drawing closer, felt the dimensions temporarily splitting, but just as she was about to unseal it, she detected a strong wave of peril that disrupted her concentration and caused her to seize her other weapon.

One more moment would have ended in her death. Instead, Haru only found herself thrown backwards by the strike she blocked, the one that was meant to take her head off. She drove her Seele into the wall to stop herself from sliding backwards, then raised her eyes to her assailant. Before she could even get a good look, he flashed forward again and aimed a downward cut at her arm. She barely managed to block it with her zanpakutoh, and unlike the small army she had just conquered, this opponent was no pushover. He easily twisted her blade and slammed it into the ground before drawing back to ram his own sword through her body. Haru narrowly escaped by ducking, and once she had wretched both her weapons out of their temporary prisons, she moved to flash away.

Her movements were too slow, however. She raised her sword to block the hit without realizing that it was aimed at sending her straight into the wall at her back. A cry tore past her lips as she struck it. She felt a crack inside of her, probably one of her ribs, but more disturbing were those at her back. Upon realizing that it was the stone behind her, Haru's head reeled violently. As she struggled to get it on straight, she instinctively moved her Seele Schneider to block his swing. Her eyes came into focus again as a dusting of spirit particles scattered. _Na… nani… _Suzaku caught the next blow, which shoved her against the wall again and destabilized it even more. She tried to push his blade away, but her strength failed her. Surprised that her helplessness didn't amuse him, Haru gritted her teeth and tried harder.

A hand closed around her neck and pulled her away from the wall only to thrust her against it with enough force to make her senses run together. Haru staggered backwards through it and landed among the rubble, unable to move or breathe. _Doushite? _The word passed through her mind and quickly faded again. She felt herself lifted and thrown backwards again, but this time, the hand remained at her neck, robbing her of the breaths she desperately needed. Everything felt so distant, she felt that she was a spectator to someone else's assault, someone who looked exactly like her. She perceived a strange glimmer, brilliant and green. The dazzling light rippled as her eyes watered.

It reminded her of the moon.

Immediately, she thrust her blade forward. He leaned his head aside, thinking the blow was for him, but it penetrated his cero and dissolved it into nothing. She saw a trace of surprise on his face that she still had any fight left in her. "You…" he said in monotone. Haru stared at him, eyes cold and dangerously silver. He threw her down and watched her slide across the floor, knocking her glasses off of her face with one blow from his hand. Glancing at the article on the floor, he paced forward and crushed them with his foot while she watched with surprisingly coherent eyes, then paused and waited for her to rise again. She winced as he ground them under his boot, almost as if he was treading on her pride. "You realize you are no longer under Aizen-sama's protection." Haru shuddered at the name and at the empty voice. "Are you satisfied already?"

"Shut the hell up," she spat, sliding her quincy weapon back into her obi with a trembling hand. By some miracle, the violin case that some distant corner of her mind had been preoccupied with was unharmed, but she had no time to be grateful. She wrapped her right hand around Suzaku and thrust its point into the floor, forcing herself to stand despite the sorry state of her body. In the end, she was forced to lean against the wall, but she managed to raise her head and leer at him. "Bastard. You'll pay for breaking those." She motioned to his foot, and he gave her an oddly surprised look. "Those were my quincy pride."

"So?"

"So I'm going to kick your ass for breaking them." Haru hunched over for a moment, then leered at him again. "Do you think I did that just because I wanted to? I'm not like him… I don't kill because I enjoy it. Demo…" Haru doubled over as the pain struck her again, struggling to swallow every cry of pain she could have expelled. "Demo," she repeated, raising her head slightly to reveal one silver eye peering through disheveled nutmeg locks. "When something precious to me is threatened, I cannot sit idly by and wait for it to be destroyed."

"Is that why, then?" Suddenly, he was beside her, and this time, Haru had no time to counter. The blade bit right through her flesh and drove itself into the wall beside her. Her ability to think scattered as her widened eyes fell from her assailant to the blade protruding from her hip. She heard her agonized cry and felt nothing else beyond the pain. He watched her without amusement. Her screams fell on deaf ears. Why was she screaming, anyway? Did she want help? None would help her. Was she in pain? Pain meant nothing. Ulquiorra grabbed her neck again and applied enough pressure to silence her. "What a waste of your life. To think, he saw scum like you as useful." Her released her, bored by the dulled glimmer in her eyes. Exhausted by the endless agony, her head fell into a bow. She was almost relieved that the end had finally come, that she had at least caused some small delay in whatever plot Aizen was hatching…

Aizen Sousuke. That name dragged across her mind like a skiff gliding slowly through a still river. Immediately, she wrapped her hand around his sword and raised her eyes. Her voice was hoarse from venting her agony, but she wouldn't be silenced, not yet. He had that startled look on his face again, and his bewilderment only grew as her sword swept across the front of his uniform, not drawing blood but revealing the four etched into his shoulder. Haru burned that number into her memory and filed it away with his name before looking back into his hollow eyes. "I don't care… how deeply you cut me, how many times… I have to fight like this. I don't even care what I become because of it… I'll fight. I'll fight until this body turns to dust. I'll fight for the things that are precious to me because I never really did when I was a human." Forgetting how wounded she was, Haru reached out her hand and seized the remnants of his uniform. She had definitely broken something, she realized as the pain grated through every nerve. Still, her grip only tightened that much more, and she dragged his eyes down to her level. "Listen well, Ulquiorra Schiffer… I've lost too much already… to let him take anything else away from me. I don't care what you do to me or who you try to make me into. That desire, that knowledge, will always remain, and nothing…" Haru's hand dropped, and for a moment her voice failed her. She felt a tear race along her cheek, but that didn't stop her. Haru closed her fist and raised her head with pride despite her obvious agony. "Nothing you or anyone else can do will erase it!"

With what will she could gather, she aimed her hand at the wall behind her and murmured in a dark tone, "Soukatsui." The blast obliterated the wall and allowed her to back off the end of Ulquiorra's sword, but not before it tore deeper into her flesh. Forgetting her pain after giving a single sharp cry as a result of his twisting the blade, she whirled on one foot and took off at a dead run, raising her left hand in the air and drawing it back towards her before sweeping it through the air. Ulquiorra was already there. Haru flashed ahead of him, refusing to let an espada outrun her. _Come on, _she pleaded, turning the corner and dodging the blow meant to take off her head. _Come on, _she thought again, stumbling against a wall as she moved around his next strike but somehow managing to continue forward. _Come on! _Her body must have remembered in that desperate moment; the wall she would otherwise have thrown herself against turned into a gaping, jagged-edged hole that swallowed her up. She closed the gap just as quickly and sagged to her knees, realizing that a mass of spirit particles had gathered below her to prevent her from falling into the abyss.

_Haru-sama! Haru-sama!_

_I'll be alright, _she answered.

_Demo…_

_Hey, _she stated with a slight smile. _This is no time to 'demo' me._

_Can you stand?_

_I'm not sure… I can try. _Haru clenched her teeth, but whichever way she moved, she cried out in pain. _Kuso… if I don't move, he's going to follow me and finish what he started. _She let one knee touch her platform and wrapped her hand tightly around Suzaku. _Suzaku, listen to me… I want you to help me release the quincy seal on my power._

_Haru-sama, you've spent so much strength already…_

_You don't think I don't know that? _she answered, gritting her teeth as she clutched the wound at her side. She felt the blood running through her fingers, which trembled out of fear and out of a sudden sensation of coldness. _Listen… I need to find my way somewhere, and quickly, or else I won't make it out of here. I don't think I can do it at ten percent. Onegai, Suzaku… forget about me for a moment, and think about… think about what's best for the ones I left behind. _The silence that answered her caused a momentary panic, but she felt something new tear at her heart. Inside, she knew that Suzaku was in pain.

_I won't let you die, understand? I won't accept it. And I won't let you lose yourself, either._

_As you say, Suzaku… _Haru shut her eyes and focused. She felt the limiter snap open and a power pour through her veins, alleviating her pain and enabling her to move. This was ransotengai, the technique she wished she could have recalled sooner but had failed to remember between the agony and the intensity of the fight. As she rose, she felt a cloud of reishi gather behind her and spread. They glimmered like diamond dust in the inky darkness that surrounded her on all sides.

_This will push us to the limits, Haru-sama. Now, fly. _Haru vaulted forward off of the platform but didn't fall. Instead, she glided along with the speed of diving kite. It was like shunpo, only without using her feet. She was carried along by the spirit particles that looked remarkably like a pair of wings. The darkness rushed past her, and she flew so long that she wondered whether or not she had moved at all. So, to remind herself that she had, she settled for walking. Gritting her teeth, she held her side and wobbled back and forth, keeping the other hand securely closed around Suzaku. She felt the violin strapped to her back. That in and of itself reminded her that she had attained some feeble form of victory, but at a price she would probably never be able to collect interest on. After another eternity, her instinct bade her to stop, and with a swallow, she raised her hand.

Haru emerged into crisp air, not like the stagnancy she had just passed through. Her feet touched something more solid than a reishi platform, but she was still in darkness. Looking up, she saw the heavens stretch over her head. The twilight was shrouded by a thick blanket of clouds, but the east was clear and dyed crimson with a flood of light. She closed the garganta with what little strength she had left. The spirit particles dispersed with a crack, and suddenly, she knew she wasn't holding her shikai but her unreleased zanpakutoh. _Swear you won't leave me, _she said suddenly, not knowing why she did. Again, the silence almost made her panic, but she still felt Suzaku inside of her.

_I will not leave you, _Suzaku answered. _However, with your body the way it is, I'm afraid I must do everything I can to conserve your energy, which means I must be silent. You must concentrate on getting to a safe place._

_What safe place? I'm a traitor, remember?_

_Don't speak like that! _Suzaku hadn't meant to be harsh, but knowing that she had come off as such, she apologized, but her wielder was more preoccupied with the task of moving in this less than ideal environment. Haru staggered forward, still holding her wounded side and walking until her feet wouldn't move anymore. Then, she collapsed with a great sigh of relief. _Haru-sama, never once did you let your allegiance to Soul Society waver in that hellhole, not even after I went into a dormant state._

_But still, I feel it festering in me… _Haru looked down at her hand and tried to flex her fingers, but she had lost the strength to even do that. _Kuso… it… it's poison._

_From what?_

_Probably from that small army that I laid waste to, _she answered, shutting her eyes and swallowing. _I would be willing to bet you anything that Szayel-san planned this from the beginning. He knew I would fight them, and he knew that I couldn't possibly escape without injury. One queen against scores and scores of pawns will fall. _Haru shut her eyes and bowed her head. _He probably knew that I would cut through them all eventually, so he sent the cuatra espada after me, too. In the event… that I did escape… I would slowly succumb to the poison. It was… well-played. _She stopped thinking as her head was dragged into a bowed position by a fit of coughing. An irony taste permeated every corner of her mouth, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop herself. She only fell silent when she was breathless, but she didn't fall yet. She sat rigidly with her back against the wall. _Suzaku, I… I'm afraid. I don't want to die… _Her fingers curled into fists as she peered up at the sky. A drop of rain struck the pavement near her, and soon, it was falling in a gentle drove that raced across her wounds and diluted the blood running from them. Haru gripped her largest injury with one hand and bowed her head. _The glory doesn't matter one bit to me! I just want to protect the things that are precious to me! Nande? Why did I come all this way? Just to die here on the street? To have a hollow eat my corpse and swallow the prize I fought so hard to obtain? Nande? If I perish here without seeing it safely delivered… _Her life marched by in memorable frames: her father's death, the funeral for Ishida's grandfather, her mother's murder, Grimmjow, her first fight, her first kill, the violin, dying, Byakuya, Shimori, the captain's exam, Ichigo, Takumi, Hinamori, Byakuya again… _if I die here, then what was the meaning in all of that? Would it mean something even if I lived? It could still all be taken away in one instant. It's so unstable, but I find myself clinging to it, clinging to the things that give my existence meaning, even if they don't mean anything at all._

She hunched over and coughed again, then spat the blood out of her mouth and wiped it with the back of her hand. Suzaku seemed to have slipped deeper into her consciousness, if only to infuse her with the flame of life for as long as she could. Besides, Haru's conversation with her was further taxing the girl's health. Haru knew this and sobbed quietly as the weight of solitude fell down about her. "Damn it," she murmured quietly, slamming her fist into the cement. "Damn you, Aizen Sousuke!" The emptiness around her only echoed with her outraged cry. She wondered how far it had gone from where she was and when someone, or something, wound finally stumble across her. For a moment, she sat, her head bowed in defeat as she struggled to stay awake. Then, the last of her determination stirred when she thought of all the diabolical things that had come to pass since her birth and how much more would occur if she let herself die there. _Iie… _she thought, loosening her uniform and withdrawing an article with an unsteady hand. _Living is the only rebellion I have left at the moment, so… _She flipped the screen open and with blurry eyes scanned the numbers. _I absolutely… will not die yet._

* * *

Holy crap… there were so many "I want to hug my characters" moments in this chapter… but doing this to them doesn't make me a certifiable evil, sadistic bitch because I'm still sympathetic… right? RIGHT?

That topic is probably up for debate. For now, I leave you with a Japanese lesson! Hooray!

Baka neko: Stupid cat

Baka: Idiot

Urusai: Shut up

Betsuni: Nothing

Iie: No

Gomen: Sorry

Nande: Why

Hai: Yes

Kuso: I'm surprised it's this far down in the list but… JAPANESE SWEAR WORD! (I'm such a kid for being all giddy about this.)

Souka: I see

Onegai: Please

Nani: What

Doushite: How

Demo: But

Tune in, my lovely readership, for the next chapter! I hope this one was enjoyable. ^^


	25. Chapter 25: Rain

A/N: Readers, reviewers, watchers… lend me your ears (or eyes, since this is writing).

Holy crap… I have no idea what to put here. Honestly, it seems like just yesterday that I started this saga. I've grown a lot as a writer since then (hopefully), and I've met a lot of awesome people, but wow… the last chapter, at least of KTH. What am I supposed to say to that? It's bittersweet; it means I can still be diligent enough to finish writing something lengthy. It means I can still make time to write something longish despite the chaos in my life. It means I can hold an audience, no matter how small and shrinking, rapt with attention at the keyboard for any number of hours and keep them coming back weekly. It's a pretty empowering feeling, to finish something so epically long, but I couldn't have done it without all my readers, past and present, and without all of my reviewers; a special shout-out to those of chapter 24: BeautifulXinXBlood, animegurl9871, and ladydeath100. Your support has been overwhelming, and I send unto you all massive glomps over the internet.

I have seriously mixed feelings about this. Ending something is surreal, but it means opening a new door, right? On to the future I march, hopefully not alone. Hopefully, one day, my name will be on the spite of a book at Barnes and Noble (since Borders is tragically dead), and I will be able to send you all a mass update to purchase said book, but that probably won't be until post-thesis, if ever. Well, you came for a conclusion, no doubt, and it's a conclusion that I will give today. I present, without further ado, the final chapter of KTH. I hope it's up to par... ^^'

* * *

_Chapter 25: Rain_

Hirako liked mornings. He liked them because they were quiet. Lately, though, they had been beginning far earlier than he would have preferred. He sat near the window of the run-down warehouse, gazing at the rain that pattered against the window, and let his mind wander again, not for the first time, but for the fifth or sixth that morning. When left to wander on its own, it stumbled upon the same subject that it always did, and the anger he felt regarding it made him want to put his fist through a wall. "Kuso," he murmured, bowing his head and leaning the side of his face against the cool glass. Like his comrades, he was a being consumed by grief, grief at what could have been and would never be. Alone with his thoughts, he let himself be devoured by the restless parasite within his mind. There were the signs, one by one: those serious looks, those strange tones, the resolve with which she had fought him, as if it would be their last battle… he should have seen them. He should have seen them and stopped her. There was no reason that it should have ended that way, but it had, and although the future was pliant in some sense, the past was entirely unyielding.

He hated the situation, he hated the sting of betrayal that still lingered in his chest, and likely within all of the vizard, but more than anything, he hated himself for not recognizing Haru's peculiar behavior earlier than that meeting with Urahara, who had for once come to them, and explained in no uncertain terms that their only hope had betrayed them all. He remembered the way the world felt like it trembled under his feet when those words had been given, the way Hiyori had denied it… vehemently. Three kicks later, and Urahara still hadn't changed his story. It was unbearable. As much as he wanted to say something to defend her, he could barely even breathe. There was nothing to do but swallow the undeniable truth, acrid as it was. She had always been a bit odd, so things like that shouldn't have surprised him, except…

Maybe some small part of him still hoped against all hope that there was some deeper meaning beneath it all. Whatever part it was had been subdued by his doubt and confliction. There was no way Yamashita Haru would betray them, but she had, and now, they could only wait for the end to come. He heaved a sigh and stared at his own reflection. _Haru wasn't like them other shinigami, _he thought, shutting his eyes for a moment. _She was special, not just to me, but to the rest of them. She was a reminder of what we had lost. She was the one that kept us focused on the present. I wasn't the only one that had hopes for her. _He stared at the cloudy sky and lost himself in it, in the labyrinth of thoughts he was weaving. _I may be the cornerstone of this here group of outcasts, but she was the sun. How can I even dream of comparing with that? _With a heavy sigh, he reclined and folded his hands above his head. How long would this routine go on before he finally adjusted? Another week? Two weeks? A lifetime? He would go mad before the end if that was the case.

"You're up early." The voice disrupted his thoughts, and he hesitantly turned his head to face Hiyori, who peered at him with her typical unamused eyes. He knew it was all an act, that the betrayal bothered her as much as it bothered him. He never asked her, and she never told him. It was simply an unspoken truth that hung between them.

"Still hurts," he answered simply, "and I can't sleep when I'm in pain."

"They make pills for that."

"Not the kinda pills I need," Hirako confessed, peering out at the sky again. Hiyori scoffed and crouched across from him, peering out the same window with a shameful expression on her face. If Hirako knew her at all, then she probably felt just as badly as he did for letting Haru do what she had, if not worse. After all, it had been Haru who had made her promise to believe in her loyalty no matter what. None of them were capable of doing that one-hundred percent, but like himself, he imagined the others had some reservations. Parts of them, like parts of himself, believed that Haru was no traitor, but it was an unspoken belief. There was only so long they could remain silent about the situation, however. He could feel the storm building as the clouds gathered. Soon enough, it would burst right open. "You ever think we coulda done somethin' about it?"

"I try not to." Hirako absorbed her answer, then heaved a sigh.

"You're a wreck."

"Oi!" she shouted, lunging at him and kicking him directly in the face. "That ain't the kind of thing ya tell a lady when she first wakes up!"

"Urusai! Unless ya wanna wake up everyone else with yer yellin' and have Kensei be moody all day—"

"He's been moody ever since she left! We all have!" Realizing that she sounded vulnerable, Hiyori dropped her gaze and turned her head away, letting a shadow fall across her eyes.

"It bothers ya just as much as it does me. There ain't no need to hide it. We're all feelin' a bit bothered."

"I ain't bothered that she left," she murmured. "I'm just bothered that she didn't say anything." Hirako understood perfectly well what she meant, and he half considered supporting her with his agreement. At the last moment, his words failed him, and he turned his eyes to the lifeless sky. "Why're you bein' so quiet?"

"What d'ya mean?"

"Ever since she left, ya been quiet, almost like yer tryin' to silence yer grief." He silently admitted that she had a point. After all, that day had been the first time he had seen Hiyori cry since word of Misuzu's death had reached them. She had been so upset, she had barely let him near her. That was just how she was; immediately after losing someone, she shut herself off for a day or two and then acted like it didn't bother her anymore. Hirako took nearly the opposite approach: he nursed the wounds of his fellow vizard before realizing that he, too, was injured. Only then did he isolate himself a cocoon of reflections, sweet memories, and bitter grief. He had finally come to the stage of withdraw, seeing that slowly, his friends were getting over the loss.

It begged the question if he ever would. "All those times she was thinkin' and lookin' up at the sky with that sad look on her face…" Hiyori stopped mid-sentence and bowed her head lower. "I can't believe I was stupid enough to mistake it as normal. Still, she swore… that her loyalty was genuine, nearly begged me not to quit believin' in that." She let loose a bitter laugh and added, "I don't know whether I was a fool for believin' it then or whether I'm a fool for believin' it now." Hirako didn't answer. He simply let himself get lost in his own reflection, in the rain falling from the sky. How she had loved the rain when she was there… but where she was now, in the middle of a fortress planted amidst desolate heat and endless sands… rain never fell there, he imagined.

It wasn't that he didn't believe that. He sometimes remembered his belief. Despite his efforts, it wormed its way into his conscious thought. There were moments when, yes, he had dared to hope, dared to dream, that everything was nothing but one hellish nightmare, that he would wake up and find that Haru wasn't really a traitor, that he had simply let his fears get the best of him. But no… time had disproven that; after all, he couldn't possibly have dreamt for two straight weeks. He had been the last to react, and when he had, it had been with haste. Having recovered from his numbness, he had marched all the way to the shop and slammed the door open, entering the room Urahara occupied and sitting down without explanation. He remembered well the throb of his hand as he drove it against the table.

"What's all this about Haru, eh?"

"I said it before, and I say it again to you now: she defected."

"Nani?" he shouted.

"It is as I said, Hirako-san," Urahara stated, tilting the brim of his hat downward and hiding his expression behind his fan. "Yamashita Haru… has decided to invest her powers in Aizen's efforts. She has betrayed us."

"I heard ya the first time, and I don' believe a word of it!"

"Believe," Urahara said darkly. "Believe that you survived the hollowfication process only to witness the solemnest hour I've had yet to experience… not to belittle your plight, of course, or the plight of any vizard. Still, you must consider that your allegiance hasn't entirely left Soul Society…"

"Kuso," Hirako said again. He had played the scene so many times in his head that he could relive it anytime he wanted to with startling accuracy. If given an easel, he had no doubt that he could make an exact replica of the deciding moment. "What're we gonna do… if we have to fight her?"

"Same thing we do with every enemy," Hiyori stated, rising and disappearing into the shadows. Happy for the moment of solitude, Hirako let his eyes fall shut. Sleep began washing over him again, pulling him so close to the bounds of unconsciousness that he nearly descended into its still waters…

And then, his damn phone rang. It must have been Urahara, calling him about a hollow attack, some goings on in Soul Society, that family that had initiated Haru's long walk to betrayal only to be destroyed by hollow, turned into them, slaughtered, reborn in Soul Society. Without even looking at the caller, he pressed the phone to his ear. "Moshi moshi?" he said into the receiver. In the background, he could hear rain and what sounded like gasping for breath. "Oi, ya there, Urahara-san? Anyone? What happened?" A tense moment passed, when all he did was listen. Resolving that the caller had dialed the wrong number, he prepared to hang up the phone, but just before he did, a desperate voice on the other line called out to him.

"Tasukete…" Pausing, he glanced at the number. A wave of shock passed through him, and, trembling with anger, he pushed the phone against his ear.

"Who the hell is this? How did ya get this number?"

"Sh… Shinji…"

"Answer me!" he shouted, forgetting that the other vizards were all still sleeping. Hiyori started from her bed and saw his silhouette outlined against the light pouring in through the window. What's more, he was visibly shaken, which was unusual for his grieving process. His expression was not what it normally was. It was confused, demanding, almost as if he knew the person he was speaking do and dared not think the name. Curious, she emerged and ascended, giving him a befuddled look that he paid no attention to.

"I… it's Haru." The answer came between gasps, and as the voice registered with the one he recalled in his mind, he nearly dropped the phone. "Please believe me. I would prove it to you… I would prove it to you by walking there myself, but I… I've used up all my reiatsu, and I've been poisoned. I can't walk another step. For that reason, I…"

"If this is a joke, it ain't funny." For a moment, only the gasps made their way through the line. Then, a slight laugh, like one who was wryly amused at the irony of the situation.

"Baka Shinji. A joke like that… would be in pretty poor taste, wouldn't it?" There was no mistaking it; the person on the other end of the line, despite the fact that it was absolutely, positively illogical, was definitely Haru. The certainty unexpectedly rang a breath from him, and she continued speaking in that pitifully quaky voice. "You know… my pride doesn't let me ask you for much. It's taken me a lot of strength to get back here, but I'm spent. That's why… that's why I'm asking you…" A rough cough sounded on the other end, and when she was finally able to speak again, her voice was nothing more than a hoarse whisper. "Tasukete… tasukete kudasai…"

Without another word, he threw the phone down and grabbed his coat. "Oi, where ya goin'?" Hiyori inquired.

"Tell Hachi to get the hell up."

"Nani? Just where do ya get off givin' me orders?"

"Just do it!" he shouted. "Argue with me when it ain't so important!"

"Shinji! Matte! Just where the heck are ya…" But he was gone before she could even finish asking the question. "Baka," she retorted, picking up the phone and flipping the screen open. A total call time was displayed only for a moment. Then, it faded to the usual background that displayed a clock. Either the call had been dropped, or the person on the other end had hung up. Whatever the case, Hiyori suddenly perceived a weight in her heart that was heavy beyond all compare, one that she couldn't explain with the simple fact that outside, it was raining harder.

* * *

"Honestly, Takumi… why did you do this to yourself again?" He wasn't awake yet, so he probably wasn't aware of his own condition, not aware that the lines had spread across his entire body, not aware that he was running a dangerously high fever. Difficult breaths escaped his lips, and through them, he drew equally difficult gasps as if he were drowning in some terrible dream that was so close to reality, neither his body nor his mind could tell the difference. Sighing heavily, she readjusted the cloth on his forehead before she rose to her feet and walked towards the door. For some reason, she felt she should tell him her intentions before leaving, even if he was still sleeping. "Are you listening to me? I'm going to send a hell butterfly to Kuchiki-taichou and Hinamori-san explaining this condition of yours in as little detail as possible. You had better get the hell better before tomorrow, or else they might start getting curious, and if that happens, your little secret's out, got it? I'm not making excuses when you stare at things you shouldn't." She shut the door behind her and slid against it, covering her eyes with her sleeve.

For a moment, her hand trembled. When she had gotten control over it, she started into the kitchen to make some tea for her ailing brother. In the midst of throwing the ingredients together, she heard a distinct knock at the door. It must have been Hajime, who had inevitably gotten her hell butterfly by then. Then again, there was a slight impatience in the knock, which wasn't like Hajime at all. She half-considered letting the visitor, whoever it was, continue to pound on the door. Before she answered, she seized her zanpakutoh and inched towards the door. With a suddenness that left the person knocking on air, she threw it open and half drew her weapon before she saw who it was. Arching a brow, she immediately put her weapon away and bowed at the waist. "Kuchiki-taichou," she said quietly. "Forgive my rudeness. It's just… I'm not used to getting visitors this early in the…"

"Where is Fujiawara Takumi?" he interrupted. Mari raised her eyes and caught sight of the two approaching shadows. After jerking her head towards the back door, she looked up at him and answered.

"Moushiwake arimasen. He isn't feeling well this morning, I'm afraid."

"Then I will be brief."

"But if you catch what he has, I would be responsible for that," she argued.

"I care not." Byakuya slipped past her and raced into the house, blocking the way with her own body and leaving the two additional visitors in slight bewilderment. They peered at each other in the pale light of the dawning day, then looked back towards the house.

"I have a bad feeling."

"Hajime-san?"

"About Takumi, but there's something else, too, something I can't quite put my finger on." Hajime scratched his chin a bit. "Kuchiki-taichou wouldn't be here if he didn't feel the same way. After all, the Fujiwara clan was dishonored when Takumi's father did what he did."

"Still," answered his cohort, "I can't imagine what could be wrong."

"Only one person can answer that," Hajime answered, taking two steps forward. "I'm going to stall them. Takumi's room is the one with the wind chime in the window. It should be easy enough to climb in."

"Hai." She rounded the house as Hajime entered to find Mari, still adamant, looking much like a lioness on the prowl, blocking the hallway with her body.

"Kuchiki-taichou, I understand your urgency, but my brother is in no condition to speak with anyone." Hajime deliberately made his steps noticeable. As he entered the room, he pardoned himself and scratched his head.

"The door was open, so I let myself in, Mari-san."

"Hajime! You tell him." He engaged himself temporarily in removing his sandals in an unusually slow manner, setting them in their usual resting spot and ascending into the actual room.

"Gomen, gomen… what exactly was I supposed to tell Kuchiki-taichou again?"

"About Takumi's condition. You know…"

"Ah, yes…" He cleared his throat and paced past the captain slowly, the turned to him when he was standing in front of Mari. "As she said, he is ill, and very contagious. However, he should improve in a day's time, maybe two, and when that happens, I will send him your way. For now, however, I must insist that he have no visitors."

"And who are you?"

"Ah, sumimasen. I must have forgotten to introduce myself. Yo bantai, Shimori Hajime. We met a while ago when Haru was hospitalized." He bowed at the waist and watched the faint disbelief spread across the normally stoic face. "I see you've heard the name. I inherited it when my sensei died. I'm afraid we are of no relation… unless you count the common bonds of mentor and pupil." He smiled and watched the Kuchiki relax a bit. Still, he seemed rather tense, and Hajime would have said so if he didn't think Byakuya would take it as an insult. "I've also been put in charge of treating Fujiwara Takumi. I have direct orders from Unohana-taichou to treat him in any way necessary and to enact the policy that best protects his health. For that reason, I'm afraid I must ask that you leave so that I can fulfill my duties, Kuchiki-taichou." He hoped his tone wasn't laced with indignant undertones. Unlike his friend, he wasn't exactly comfortable with challenging authority, even if he had been given the jurisdiction to do so. He stood and waited for the answer, allowing himself to hope that perhaps his words had been enough to deter Byakuya.

"I understand that," he replied in his usual deadpan. "But this can't wait. I cannot leave until I know just why those stars were burning so brightly last night."

"And what makes you think my little brother knows anything about that?" Mari demanded.

"If you do not know the answer to that by now, then you are a fool." As Mari lunged at him, Hajime seized both arms from behind and suspended them over her head as she struggled mercilessly, hurling curses and demands that he let her go.

"Mari-san, you're not showing a very graceful face. Please calm down a little," he said, just loud enough for Byakuya to hear. The sound carried down the hall, where Takumi still lay on his back with a cloth over his eyes. His breaths were still sharp and labored, and the charcoal black lines still covered both his hands and his neck, but now, at the very least, he was coherent enough to hear Hajime's voice. He wondered what exactly had probed him to say those words. He also wondered why exactly Hajime was there so early in the morning. Still, he could question all he wanted because he didn't have the strength to seek his answers, nor did he have any strength to react to the sudden cold draft from the corner of his room. The wind chime sang softly as two feet struck the floor. Just as quickly, the intruder shut the window. He tried to call out for help, but it was all he could do to keep breathing, to keep telling himself that he couldn't let go of consciousness until he knew he and his sister were safe.

Takumi felt the cloth lifted from his gaze. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the light. It was much lighter than he had originally thought. As he blinked against the shroud of white, his eyes found a familiar figure kneeling next to the bowl and quietly wringing out the cloth. She rested the cloth on his forehead, then placed a hand on top of his. "M… Momo-san…"

"Shh, save your strength," she whispered. "Besides, no one but Hajime-san knows I'm here." He smiled and closed his eyes, laughing slightly despite his condition.

"Breaking and entering, hmm? You just can't stay away from me, can you?" He laughed slightly, then coughed, as if forgetting his own state of being for a moment.

"Are you going to be okay?" At the sound of that question, something must have suddenly came to him. His eyes grew dim, and the smile from his face melted away.

"I don't know," he answered. Then, after a moment, "Maybe now that you're here—" She punched him in the arm, and he coughed slightly.

"This is no time to be joking around."

"Sumimasen," he answered with a faint smile. Hinamori sighed and shook her head, looking at him for a long moment. "Something you want to say?"

"Takumi, these lines… why does this keep happening? I thought you and your zanpakutoh…"

"We did," he murmured, sitting up and rubbing his left eye. "I just… peered at something I shouldn't have for a… little too long."

"Reckless is what you are. If you knew you shouldn't look, why did you?" Takumi immediately looked away. "Stubborn, too." She suddenly got the feeling that his mind was miles away, that he was thinking of something that he shouldn't have. "Should you really be sitting up?" Takumi didn't answer the question initially. In fact, he seemed to sink deeper into his own thoughts, distancing himself from the girl beside him. Something strange flashed across his eyes, something more real than mere memory, and then, as the lines on his body receded, the bitterest smile she had ever seen came over his face. "What's the matter? You look like you're going to cry."

"If I do, then just ignore it," he answered, drawing a difficult breath as he covered his left eye with a trembling hand. "I really don't deserve your kindness. I'm a despicable person."

"Takumi, you aren't a demon. Stop beating yourself up about it already."

"Iie," he answered, shaking his head slowly and keeping his head bent. "It… it isn't that." The tone of his voice frightened her, and the look in his one visible eye frightened her even more. The crimson orb peered through his fingers and seemed to hold the same light as the eye she had already glimpsed. "There are things I didn't tell you about that night, things I really think you should know, but even now, I find myself unable to say them. Somehow, even now…"

"What are you talking about?"

"What else would I be talking about?" he answered. Realizing that his anger frightened her, his expression softened. "Just forget I said anything. I'm not angry with you." He buried his face in his knees and shivered even though the room was far from cold. His fist clenched tightly while Hinamori watched him succumb by degrees to whatever sentiment, to whatever vision, had driven him to that state. The sound of his breathing was steady but rough, as if he barely dared to draw air into his lungs due to his being haunted by the information he had just seen, whatever it was. Hinamori touched his shoulder, drawing his resentful gaze to her.

"Takumi, what's going on? What do you mean you didn't tell me things about that night?"

"I can't tell you."

"Takumi, please…"

"Just let it go, for your own sake…"

"I won't let it go," she hissed, tightening her grip on his shoulder. "Not until you explain yourself."

"It's all a lie," he said in his usual cryptic way.

"What is?"

"Everything." Takumi peered at her with both eyes. "If what I saw was true, then… then everything I've hoped for these past few months has finally come to its full fruition. Unfortunately, that fullness is disappointingly empty. It never bloomed. It withered and died. That's the end of it. Out, out, brief candle…"

"What are you saying, Takumi?" He gave her a pitiful look and turned away again, clenching his trembling fist and clenching his teeth together. She could almost feel the agony coursing through his body. It was so evident by just his reiatsu alone that he was suffering inside, that his emotional pain was so great that it had become physical. "Takumi, please… it's so hard to bear pain on your own. I can help you carry it, if you really feel like you should tell me…"

"Tell you?" Takumi threw an outraged look at her. "There are no words that can capture it. Something that terrible should never be spoken of…" Feeling the tears on his face, he shamefully cast his eyes away and tried one with the back of his hand. "Iie, I can't tell you. I can't tell anyone. Even if I did, what difference would it make?"

"Do you always have to be this way?" she asked. "Carrying the pain on your own… that's no way to live."

"That's the way she lived."

"She? She who?" Takumi's expression stilled. Suddenly, he became quite calm. He turned his head towards Hinamori with deliberate slowness and intention, as if he knew full well that he was about to hesitate. Takumi waited for a moment. The orders still stood, but he couldn't let her name be blackened to every pair of eyes, least of all to Hinamori's. She had already suffered one betrayal in her life, after all. Orders were orders. He only followed them when he felt like it, and given what he had seen after he had blacked out, after he'd spent hours staring and staring into the present, he currently felt that he was no longer under any obligation to uphold them. She shook him slightly and jarred him out of his thoughts. "Who, Takumi?"

"Yamashita-taichou. Who else?" Her eyes widened slightly as he peered up into them with that dreadful, serious expression. They were clear and devoid of any tears; nothing but anger burned in them, anger for his own actions. "It's all a lie, Momo… every bit of it. Taichou didn't defect. She didn't betray Soul Society. She didn't betray anything. She left to do something… she never told me what. She just went away and told me to tell everyone that so they didn't worry. Lying to everyone else comes pretty easy for me, but to you… I guess I'm sorry." He added the last part and bowed his head, but at the moment she seemed to wrapped up in the things he had just spoken of.

"Yamashita-taichou… left?"

"That's right," Takumi answered. A fleeting hope shot through her eyes, and in her elation, she threw her arms around him.

"Takumi, that… that's wonderful!"

"Momo…"

"Sorry," she stammered, drawing away and beaming, trying hard to hide her tears of joy. "I can't help it. I'm just… so happy… to hear that she didn't really betray us. If she didn't, then that means she'll come back soon." Takumi's expression hadn't changed. It was still as serious as ever. "What's the matter? Aren't you looking forward to being her vice captain?"

"I'm not going to be her vice captain."

"Nani? Have you decided to let me take the title instead?" She said it in jest, but he didn't answer. He simply sighed slowly, woefully. She tried to decode his somber look, his difficult sigh, the way he flexed his hands around the blanket, the way he deliberately swallowed.

"She… isn't going to have a vice captain."

"If she wants to be a captain, she kind of has to, doesn't she?" He looked away and drew a breath, his fists clenching so hard around the blankets that they trembled. "Come on. Say something. At least look happy."

"Momo-san," he said in a serious tone, looking at her and swallowing his own pain to murmur in a somber, trembling tone just above a whisper. "She isn't coming back." An uncomfortable silence lingered as Hinamori tried to process the various meanings that phrase could have, none of them good.

"But… but you just said she didn't betray us. How can you say she isn't coming back?" One look was all it took to find the truth that was hidden beneath his eyes. In an instant, her joy crumbled to dust. "Iie…" she whispered, feeling a new wave of tears rise to her eyes. "Iie…" Takumi bowed his head and let his own anguish wash over him until the sharp sting of a backhand disrupted him from his thoughts. Without the least bit of shock on his face, he peered to Hinamori, whose hand was still raised and whose eyes were furious. "You're lying. You're lying again. Something like that… it couldn't be… it's not possible."

"Nothing is impossible," he answered somberly. He continued gazing at her until his mind caught up with his body. Slowly, he raised a hand to the side of his face, tracing the red imprint of her hand against it. She didn't seem to like the fact that he looked away, as she grabbed the front of his yukata and forced his eyes into hers.

"What the hell kind of a lie is that, you bastard? What about her desire to protect? What about her pride? What about all the things that made her strong? You can't honestly tell me that you think Hueco Mundo is enough to destroy all of that!" He didn't answer. He simply avoided her eyes and looked away. "Say something, damn it!"

"Gomen." That was all he could say, given the circumstances. It was a weak word, but it was all he could utter. "Hontou ni… gomen," he repeated. The horror of reality sank in, but Hinamori resisted with a string of semi-coherent denial.

"Iie… iie… taichou can't…" She stopped for a minute, as if fighting off the word itself and resisting its desire to cross her mind. "She can't be…" The weight of the truth sunk on her, and what was left of her composure shattered. She hid behind her hands for a moment, trembling and sobbing quietly, before bowing her head and crumpling to the floorboards. The information had jarred her, but she hadn't forgotten that her position was still unnoticed.

"Momo-san," he said quietly. "I have no right… absolutely no right… to ask you for anything. You must hate me. Demo…" Takumi pressed a hand over his eyes. "Would it be alright… to hold onto you for a little while?" His hand fell away as if he realized what he had just asked. She remained with her forehead pressed to the floor for a moment. Then, unexpectedly, she threw herself against his shoulder, clutching at the folds of his clothes and sobbing without restraint. "Momo-san, you can't…" She was in no condition to be bargained with, however, and before he could stop his arms, they had gently wound themselves around her. "Gomen," he said quietly as he shut his eyes. "Hontou ni gomen." That was the only thing he could do, other than peer at the door with one eye as the small crack slowly slid shut, sealing off the unwanted listener at the door. He stood there for a moment with his hands hanging at his side, then put on his regal mask and let his fingers close into a tight fist.

"Souka," Mari murmured. "That's what it was. It's no small wonder he was so hung up on his captain. Things make a little more sense now. Still…" She let the end of her sentence trail off wistfully, peering at the Kuchiki and trying to read his body language. It was impossible without an eye like Takumi's, and for once, she envied her brother's power. Suddenly, he crossed the room with steps that spoke nothing of his inner turmoil. "Ano… Kuchiki-taichou…"

"You must speak of this to no one," he said as he opened the door and let some light pour in.

"Nani? I don't understand…"

"If Haru-kun did not want to die a hero, then I will let her die the villain. It is the least I can do." Mari didn't know him well enough to detect the strong undertone of guilt in his voice. "Let your brother take the day off, but I expect him at my office on time tomorrow." With that, he departed, leaving her alone with Hajime, whose head was downcast and who was currently leaning his back against the wall.

"Yare, yare…" she sighed. "I guess I've seen too much death in my life to care when someone I've never heard of dies…"

"She was…" She turned her head to Hajime, who was still staring at the ground. His voice was almost silent, and from what she could tell, it was trembling. "She was… the only hope that was left for us."

"Hajime…" She spoke a little more sympathetically as she moved forward.

"I knew she was strong from the day I met her. She had strength most of us could only dream of gaining in our lifetimes, and at an age as low as hers, I always knew that I could expect great things of her." He laughed slightly despite the sound of something small and fluid hitting the floor near his feet. "Is it wrong… that I always suspected she hadn't betrayed us and never said anything?"

"Why would it be?"

"Because if I had, maybe this never would have happened. Maybe this many people… wouldn't have to feel this pain…" He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, but suddenly, his weight couldn't support him. He slumped against the wall and dove into his knees immediately, not wanting anyone else to see the magnitude of his sorrow. "She wrote… in the most wondrous way, almost like she was channeling sensei's spirit. Every word of his last lesson, she remembered. When I read it, it was almost as if he was standing beside me, whispering it in my ear. Good gods… now I'll probably hear her, too, if I can ever bring myself to read those pages again." He detected Mari's kneeling form over him and shrank away even more. He had to hide his face.

"Hajime, look at me."

"I can't."

"What's stopping you? I've seen my brother cry a million times. It's all right to cry if you've lost something important to you."

"But even so…" He let his voice trail off. "I wanted to stay strong for her, for everything that she believed in… for the joy she swore… existed in sorrow."

"You don't have to be strong all the time," she chided him. "Now's the kind of time you need to lean on someone. If she were alive, I bet she'd tell you the same thing."

"I can't… not on you." Something inside her nearly broke, but she kept her composure. Two hysterical people were bad enough. She could only imagine what she would have to deal with from her brother once the visitors cleared out.

"I don't understand, Hajime. Why are you hesitating?"

"Because…" he whispered. "Because I wanted to stay strong for you, too." Eaten up by grief as he was, he couldn't doubt the validity in Takumi's words, especially if he had seen it. Left with no other alternative, he raised his head slightly, not enough to show his face, but enough to lean forward until his forehead touched her shoulder. When her arms wound around his head, he let a troubled sigh escape him. No longer did he see Soul Society as invariably safe. One of its biggest liabilities had just been lost, and no one but the five people who had been in that house, four of them listening at the door of one who saw beyond what could be seen, would ever know. The remaining captains, the captain commander, the countless shinigami in every division, would go on unaware of the star that had fallen or its reasons for falling. In either case, they would never be capable of understanding the full peril that lingered past the veil of the future.

* * *

He ran. He wasn't sure how long or how far, but by the time he realized his lungs were burning and that the rain had drenched him to the bone, he had covered so much ground that it didn't matter. He knew she was close. She had to be somewhere in the vicinity, if she was even there at all. Still, as Hirako rounded one more corner and found nothing, he couldn't let his doubts permeate his mind now. He had come too far for that. With his hands in his pockets, he slowed to a walk and let his mind wander. _I wonder how wounded she is… not being able to walk… _His exigency would have been renewed, but he was beginning to grow discouraged. If she was that wounded, then by the time he found her, she would already be…

No, she had come through too much to simply die now. She had done the impossible. She had escaped Hueco Mundo… which raised another question. What for? Why had she turned her back on them? Why had she turned her back on Soul Society in the first place? What event, what thought, what emotion, had altered her course a second time? Had it even been altered the first time? _She swore…_ he thought, looking critically at the ground as he walked through the puddles instead of moving around them. _She swore she'd always be loyal ta Soul Society. Then… if that was the case, then why… _Realizing that he had entered another endless loop of questions, Hirako made a conscious effort to remove his mind from those particular thoughts and focus on finding who was likely the only person that could legitimately answer all of his questions. _Where… _The new question filled his mind, and he peered up. _Where are ya, Haru? _As it moved through his mind again, he dropped his eyes to the pavement and stopped dead in his tracks. It was faint, but he saw thin ribbons of a strange color permeating the cleanliness of the rain and tainting it.

The name of the color crossed his mind, and his stomach sank as he realized it was the color of blood. He let his eyes rise to find a faint figure sitting against a wall with one hand still around the phone, the other clutching her right hip as blood slowly slid through her fingers. "Haru…" he breathed. "Haru!" Her head stirred slightly, and she peered to him. Suddenly, he was kneeling beside her, looking into the eyes that were slowly, clearly letting go of life. There were a million questions he wanted to ask, but he shoved them all in the back of his mind. The sheer magnitude of the seriousness of her condition made Hirako incapable of speaking altogether. He rested his hands on her shoulders and shook them gently, causing her to raise her head a bit and give a weak smile.

"Shi… Shinji-san… it… it's about time… you showed up." Even speaking those words seemed to take more effort than she should have been expending.

"Don't talk, and for heaven's sake, don't go to sleep. I'm going to get ya out of here…"

"Shinji…"

"I said not to talk, damn it!"

"It's useless," she answered softly. "I'm sorry… I was careless. I… couldn't avoid them… them all. I… it was them that… must have… poisoned me… somewhere along the way." Haru gave a slight laugh before hunching over and coughing. She stopped herself with great difficulty and turned her head to one side. "Do something for me."

"Haru—"

"Please." He fell silent and waited as she gasped and coughed, gasped again, then spoke in a low tone. "The violin case I've got… if I don't get through this, you open the side for the sheet music."

"I don't…"

"You'll know," she said. "You'll understand then my reasoning." She breathed a plaintive sigh and flexed her fingers. "Don't tell anyone."

"Baka! How can you ask me to do something like that?"

"Because I don't want to be a martyr." Her hand quivered slightly, and she glanced briefly at him in her peripheral vision before looking to the side again. "I did so much to get out. In the end, it may all amount… to nothing more than recklessness and stupidity. That's what I want to be, to you and to everyone else. Please, Shinji…" When she raised her eyes again, a thin trickle of blood mixed with the rain racing down her face, along with the tears that poured slowly from her eyes. "I killed so much on the way out… I don't want anyone else getting their hands dirty for my sake." Haru hunched over and gave a rather raspy cough, expelling a fair amount of blood onto the pavement, then looking up as if she didn't even realize what had just happened. All he could do the whole time was watch, horrified and somehow captivated at the strength plea she had made. "Promise me."

"Why the hell would I promise something like that?"

"I've done a lot of terrible things in my life, and tricked a lot of people, but the one thing I can say is that I've been true to my word. I expect… that you will be true to yours." She waited patiently, almost as if she had all the time in the world, then repeated in an urgent tone, "Promise." He didn't say anything. Muted by the way she rallied to tell him all of that, he could only nod once, slowly, and swallow the lump in his throat. Suddenly, she laughed and slung the hand that had been pressed against her hip over her eyes, smiling bitterly at the irony taste of her own blood. "It's so strange… I can't feel the pain anymore, demo…" Haru's smile faded and twisted into an expression of the most intense emotional agony he had ever seen her display. Her arm dropped, and he watched as tears ran from her eyes. "I'm afraid… I'm so afraid… I don't… I don't want to die…"

"Ya aren't gonna die!" he said, pulling his coat off of his shoulders and wrapping her trembling frame in it. "I swear ya ain't gonna die. Just stay with me…" Her eyes seemed more alert, but only for a moment. They had widened. There was something else she wanted to say, something that had to be said. She tried three times, and three times, her lips proved mute. "Stay with me, Haru…" Despite having lost her power of speech, she still found the strength to reach out one trembling hand towards him. Startled, Hirako could only kneel beside her and watch as that hand moved closer and closer to his shoulder…

A moment before it reached its destination, a futile smile overcame her face, her eyes went listless, and her hand dropped to the pavement with a soft thud, one that, under normal circumstances, would have been only slightly louder than the patter of rain, but which was deafening in his ears. Hirako heard a breath escape him as he shook her gently. "Haru… Haru?" Her expression remained the same, no matter how many times he cried out to her. Overcome with grief, he bowed his head and bit back what anguish he could as his hands fell away from her shoulders and covered his eyes. It was all a mess, an incoherent tangle of thoughts. She was a traitor who paraded as a traitor and who, at the threshold of her salvation, had given up, let go, become the rain that washed everything away but his rapidly increasing grief. He would be haunted by that thought, too, the fact that if he had been a little faster, if he had been less dubious of her, if he had made in there in time… with the flood of thoughts that raced to his mind, he found himself clinging to the corpse and, for the first time in years, sobbing his complaints to his only audience. "Haru!" He let the name tear past his lips, not caring who or what heard him. It was over now. The resolution he had longed for, the truth he had been afraid to accept, they crowded his mind and killed him silently as he squeezed the motionless arms of the fallen and pressed his forehead against her chest, feeling the heat draining out of her, feeling the stillness shifting.

Shifting…

His eyes widened as he drew back and pressed a hand against the side of her neck.

It was there: faint, but still there.

With as much haste and care as he could utilize, Hirako scooped the wounded girl up in his arms, taking care that her sword and the violin case strapped to her back remained as undisturbed as possible. "Don't ya die on me, Haru," he said in a low voice as he began back towards the warehouse where he and his comrades took refuge. "If ya do, then I swear to the gods, I'll never forgive ya."

* * *

For some reason, that day had been even more tense than the twelve or thirteen preceding it. Rukia sat across her brother in complete silence, consuming her food without even so much as thinking to say anything. Still, for the past handful of days, there had been something… something that counteracted the tension between them. Now, whatever that thing was had vanished. She secretly wanted to ask him what was wrong, but she couldn't bring herself to, not considering the dead look his eyes held. That desire followed her out of the dining room. It lingered in the steam around her as she bathed, a time when she normally thought of the people she had left behind in Karakura Town. Something had happened. Something, somewhere had gone terribly wrong, and when she could take no more of her curiosity's nagging, she resolved to ask him herself.

"Keiji, can you tell nii-sama I wish to speak with him?" The servant nodded and went his way. She waited until he returned, a little pale, a little doleful, but most of all troubled. "Well?"

"He says he isn't coming out."

"Nani?" Rukia thought it bizarre that Byakuya would shut himself off to such a degree. It was obvious to her that even Keiji was concerned. He knew Byakuya rather well, considering he personally attended to the Kuchiki's needs every day, not to mention Haru's. Mentally, Rukia called him stubborn for acting the way he was and rose to her feet. "Then I'll go to him." She wasn't quite sure what inspired her sudden defiance. The affection she felt for her brother wasn't exactly strong, not considering the fact that she practically never saw him. Still, she did worry, especially when he acted eccentrically as he was that night.

"Rukia-san, I would recommend giving him his space right now."

"Is something wrong?" Keiji nodded slowly and swallowed. "But he didn't tell you what?" Just as slowly, he shook his head, keeping his eyes locked on the floor.

"Whatever it is, it's serious. He told me he had been harassed all day about it and had no desire to discuss it." Rukia began forward, but Keiji stopped her. "Where are you going?"

"If he's not coming to me, then I'm going to him."

"But Rukia-san…"

"I can't just leave him there." Keiji knew how complicated their relationship was. Still, he was hesitant to let her go. "Look, I promise I'll come back and tell you what's going on. I know you worry about him, too, and you can't just come out and ask him."

"Technically, you aren't supposed to, either."

"Yes, well…" She wanted to say that situation was an exception to the rule, but for some reason, she simply provided him with additional reassurance and marched slowly towards her brother's room, the walls of which she had never seen nor had any desire to see. When she got to the door, she peered at it for a long moment. The moon had vanished, leaving nothing but darkness in its wake. What if he was already sleeping? She knocked anyway and waited for a sign to enter but was granted none. Forgetting for a moment that she owed him for her status, she pulled the door open and stepped inside. He gave her a heated look, but one that was vacant of the anger she would expect from him otherwise. "Gomenasai, nii-sama."

"Why are you here, Rukia?" His tone was colder than ice. It was lifeless stone, stone that had been chipped away by the hard realities of life and now cut into her. "Leave."

"Nii-sama," she answered, trying not to overstep her bounds as far as power went. "I understand something is wrong, and I just wanted you to know…"

"Rukia," he interrupted, turning away from her. "If I wanted to talk about it, then I would have done so."

"Hai, demo…"

"Leave," he repeated. She imagined a slight quiver in his voice… or had she actually perceived it? Rukia hesitated. She didn't want to be disobedient. She didn't want to seem ungrateful, yet by walking away, she would have felt that she hadn't accomplished anything at all. She was feeling bold again, for whatever the reason.

"Nii-sama, I can't… I can't do what you're asking me."

"Is it so difficult to understand? I would like to be alone right now."

"But you're always alone," she answered.

"The strong have no need to lean on anyone."

"Then why did you lean on Haru?" A visible tremor worked through his shoulders as the name cut through the dark air. She shut the door and paced forward. "Just tell me that. Clarify the situation for me please, nii-sama."

"Leave," Byakuya repeated.

"Iie." It was the first time Rukia had been overtly defiant with him. He took a fist full of blanket and shut his hand around it with enough pressure to make it tremble. "I understand your need to hide from the world, but I'm supposed to be your sister. I've tried not to ask much of you. In fact, I appreciate everything you did for me and for Hisana-san, but I feel like I haven't done anything to repay you."

"I told you before, I did what I did for Hisana and not for you."

"Then why did you let Haru come here?"

"Because I was ordered to retrieve her."

"You didn't have to let her get that close to you…"

"Enough," Byakuya said sharply. Rukia paused, but she soon found her courage again and continued forward.

"What is it that has you looking the way you do? You always seem tired, almost as if you're half here and half in a waking dream. Have you been sleeping at all?"

"Your concerns are useless."

"That isn't true," Rukia answered. "Ever since Haru left, you've been this way, and today, just this morning, you seemed so radically different. You still cared, nii-sama. You seemed to be hoping for something. What happened to that hope?" Byakuya didn't answer. She saw his head bow slightly, something that she never expected to see from someone as strong as her brother. "Nii-sama, please tell me. I'll do what I can, even if it's not much." In the ensuing silence, Rukia heard her brother draw a breath, and as his head bent lower, he lifted one hand and covered his eyes. In the pale light of the stars, she thought she saw something gleam on his face as he slowly turned to her.

"You wish to know… what happened to that hope. It is dead." Her eyes widened when she realized the extent of his trouble and the hidden meaning of what he was saying.

"Dead?" she echoed. "But how can you possibly know that for sure?"

"I am not the one that knows. Fujiwara does."

"Fujiwara Takumi?"

"Hai," he murmured. "Apparently, he saw _that_ this morning just before waking up. I cannot doubt the validity of his claims, not considering his peculiar ability."

"What do you mean, nii-sama?" He didn't answer. He simply bowed his head lower to hide his shame. "Are you saying that… Fujiwara Takumi… can see the future?"

"I only know that he can see reality, free from futile hopes and delusions of grandeur. That is why… I have no reason to doubt him."

"But he has to be wrong! Haru would never…"

"She never betrayed anything," he murmured, his hand trembling. "She only went… because she wanted to protect this place, because she wanted… to spare everything near and dear to her the terrible effects of combat." Rukia's eyes widened as, once again, the weight of his comment took a moment to fall on her.

"What do you mean she never… betrayed anything? Nii-sama, do you even know what you're saying?" Realizing that she was being sharp with him, she stopped speaking. Now wasn't the time to question the validity of his words, not when he was in such a vulnerable condition. After swallowing, she knelt before him and tentatively wrapped her arms around his head. His hair was still damp from the bath, and though he shuttered at her touch, he made no order for her to draw away.

"It is my fault."

"Nani?"

"It is my fault that she left."

"You can't blame yourself, nii-sama."

"Iie," he murmured, letting his forehead sink against Rukia's shoulder. "I scared her off. I never should have asked her to marry me." Rukia tensed up at that comment, but she didn't draw away. "You probably feel… as though I am betraying your sister…"

"Nii-sama you don't need my permission to move on. I'd prefer to think you're happy behind that cold mask." She was finally growing used to the idea of her brother being vulnerable. "Still, as much as I hate to say it, this is what you get when you try to hide yourself from the world." She whispered the words, almost as if she didn't want to say them. The weight of Byakuya's head against her shoulder was troubling, the way he had simply crumbled inside when news of Haru's demise had reached his ears, the way he had held it together until he was alone… all of it was troubling to her. So, he really had felt something for the girl despite her age and her peculiar heritage, and he really had acted on those feelings to an extent. True, it did nothing to exacerbate the situation, nor did it relieve her concern, but she felt as if she understood him just a little better. "Gomenasai," Rukia stated. "I'm sorry… you had to suffer… because you wanted to be happy."

Byakuya let his head sink down a little further, almost as if he wanted to be dragged away into unconsciousness. He wanted to forget everything he knew, if only for a little while, but for some reason, it felt wrong to use sake for that reason. He envied Haru, envied her because she had escaped the unending misery she had surely endured by turning her back on everything she held dear, by giving her subtle yet ample farewell to her subordinates, her friends, her brother, her teacher, and on him… what exactly was he to her in that moment? A captain? A coworker? A host? Or something more? The total lack of an answer was excruciating. She had escaped and left in her wake wounds that would, in time, have to heal. She didn't have to feel the pain at all; where she was, she couldn't feel much of anything, he imagined. No, he would have to bear it all in solitude as he had for so many years borne the weight of Hisana's ghost…

And strangely enough, that suited him just fine, because he felt what Haru would tell him deep in the pit of his heart, that somewhere in the unending darkness, there existed a ray of light that had faltered but not entirely flickered out.

* * *

I'll be honest… writing this chapter was an emotional roller coaster ride, not merely in terms of the plot, but in terms of coming to the end. Free tissues are available at the back table (because I'm pretty sure I almost cried while writing this at some point), but first, one final Japanese lesson…

Kuso: Japanese swear word. So glad that came up earlier than in the last chapter. ^^

Urusai: Shut up.

Nani: What

Moshi moshi: The Japanese phone greeting.

Tasukete (kudasai): Help (please)

Baka: Stupid/idiot

Matte: Wait

Moushiwake arimasen: Super formal apology

Hai: Yes

Gomen: Regular apology

Sumimasen: Excuse me/apology

Iie: No

Hontou ni: Really

Demo: But

Souka: I see

Ano: Japanese equivalent of "um."

Yare, yare: Well, well

Gomenasai: Formalish apology

Ah, the pleasures of this fanfiction have been boundless; I cannot put them into words. I've talked to some awesome people out there as a result of writing it, and I hope that I can continue to do so in the future, whether I'm here or absent for a while.

Of course, as the conclusion of this chapter suggests, there may be more on the way. I haven't decided whether or not to continue for sure, especially since insanity is about to break loose. I'm also insecure because I feel like I've dragged it out so much already… hooray for a lack of confidence! As always, reviews are appreciated. Enjoy the complementary tissues. Feedback, etc. of any kind is, as always, welcome, and I will be more than happy to PM anyone who needs post-chapter 25 counseling (meant to be a bit of a LOL). One last thanks to everyone who made it to the end: I extend my gratitude to you all because you made this possible.

And what does the future hold for me? Well, a thesis, for sure… but who knows what else? Until then, you know how to reach me. Best of luck in the reading and writing endeavors of tomorrow. ^^


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